Property Advert of the Week: "Mintcol" by Claron Homes (1973)

Below is a 1973 newspaper advertisement for "Mintcol". It was a model home that was located at 176A Old Northern Road, Castle Hill. The home is still standing there today. 

Source: Claron Homes. 1973. "Mintcol" (Advertisement). The Sun, October 19: 62.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Governor Phillip Tower 1982 Scheme (1982)

Full Citation Below

Developing the site of the First Government House in Sydney was a saga in itself. It was an empty site in central Sydney surrounded by sandstone buildings and modern high-rise buildings. By the early 1980s, the NSW Government decided to build an office tower on the site.

In 1982, plans were approved for a 38-storey office tower to be built on the site. The tower was to be located directly fronting Bridge Street, where the Museum of Sydney now stands.

Source: Ringrose, R. 1982. "Tower to rise on city site". The Daily Telegraph, November 24:9. 

The following year (1983), an archeological dig unearthed the foundations of the First Government House (1789-1846), sealing its fate. The Foundations would be preserved, and the public could view their remains. With a skyscraper boom occurring in the 1980s, Planning and Environment Minister Bob Carr sought to preserve the historical buildings and streetscape along Bridge Street, which also had implications for future development. 

Comreality (owned by Sid Londish) bought the site in 1986. Over two years, it purchased neighbouring sites, including the Legal and General Buildings, to create a super site covering an entire block bounded by Bridge, Loftus, Bent and Young Streets. It would lead to what we see today, a public square facing Bridge Street with the Museum of Sydney behind it. Governor Phillip Tower (1993 - 37 stories/227 metres - Note that there is a 40 metre high foyer, with fewer floors in the tower) and Governor Macquarie Tower (1994 - 36 levels/145 metres) would rise towards the middle of the block. Terrace houses in Young and Phillip Streets were preserved.

 

Property Advert of the Week: HomeWorld (2002)

Newspaper advertisements for HomeWorld in our weekly property adverts are regular, and they're good for comparison and understanding how their marketing has evolved. 

Below is an advertisement published in The Daily Telegraph in 2002. This focuses on the "New for Old" (a new home built on an existing block) and the financial gain one could get if they knocked their house down and built a new one from scratch.

Source: HomeWorld. 2002. "This is my new for old home on our same block". The Daily Telegraph, September 14: 17.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: 40 Park Street (1988)

Full Citation Below

Did you know that a tower was once proposed to be built on the site of the recently completed Parkline Place tower in Park Street, directly above Gadigal Station, decades before heavy rail snaking underneath Pitt and Castlereagh Streets, and a metro station right on Park Street?

It happened in 1988.

Interestingly, the proposed tower was 40 storeys tall, just one storey higher than today's tower. The development would have comprised 4000 sq/m of retail space, 45,000 sq/m of space (similar to the current Parkline Place), a 2,500 sq/m space for a library, and a four-storey public atrium.

It was to be developed by developer Frank Theeman.

Source: Chancellor, J. 1988. "Theeman catches key CBD sites". The Sydney Morning Herald, March 1: 28.

How would the Metro Station fit into the narrative had the tower been built?

This tower would have impacted plans for the Sydney Metro if they had to stick to what we see today. It would have created a barrier to building an entrance from Park Street. Consider that it was planned for Town Hall and Gadigal Stations not to be connected at all to avoid creating a "super station". Gadigal was also built to alleviate overcrowding at Town Hall Station. Data has shown that patronage at Town Hall has decreased by 10% since the CBD Metro opened. Options for a station entrance, particularly at the northern end, are limited, and Park Street is also a bus corridor for a number of bus services operating in central Sydney.

This tower would have likely been compulsorily acquired and demolished just like 39 Martin Place was for the construction of the metro platforms and entrances at Martin Place and the buildings in Elizabeth, Castlereagh and Hunter Streets that were located behind the Commonwealth Bank building. This would ultimately mean Parkline Place would be built, likely in a very similar form to the current tower and to at least the same number of floors and height, if not kept to the 40 floors. As for heights, Parkline Place may have ended up taller provided it could conform to solar access protections, meet design excellence standards and justify breaching height and planning limits.

This is a "never built" that did Sydney a favour, even if it was not back in the 1980s, because the acquisition of the tower for the Sydney CBD Metro would have increased construction costs and removed any barriers to placing a station entrance to Gadigal Station in Park Street. 

Above: Parkline Place as viewed from Park Street at Hyde Park. Photo taken by the Author (2025).

Property Advert of the Week: Penrith Land Release (1969)

Below is a 1969 newspaper advertisement for a house and land package on offer at Penrith. The area is currently in South Penrith and would encompass the neighbourhood that is home to the Jamison Hotel and close to Jamison Park.

The package included a 3-bedroom brick veneer home on a block of land. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, this was equivalent to spending $155,000 in today's money, which is very good value for money.

Source: Lancelot Homes. 1969. "Penrith $10, 575" (Advertisement).  The Daily Telegraph, July 12: 28.