Property Advert of the Week: Zenith Apartments (2003)

In our main entry this week, I shared a newspaper advertisement associated with the opening of the Boulevard Hotel on William Street in 1973. 

The Boulevard Hotel continues to operate to this very day. Another hotel, located at the top of William Street, also opened in the 1970s. 

The hotel, known as Kingsgate and later the Hyatt Kingsgate, Hyatt and Millennium, opened in 1971. It operated until 2003, when it was closed to be converted into the Zenith Apartments, which were completed in 2005. 

Below is a 2003 newspaper advertisement promoting the sale of apartments, which commenced prior to their conversion into apartments.

 

Source: Jones Lang LaSalle. 2003. "Zenith" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, April 5: 19 (Homeowner liftout). 

1987: No New Years' Eve Fireworks

Source: Aubin, T. 1987. "Why the New Year won't begin with a bang". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 21: 1. 

In two weeks, I will do the annual lookback at how New Year's Eve in Sydney was marked 25 Years ago (New Year's Eve, 2000 is this year's focus), but let's look back at a year that there wasn't a fireworks spectacular on New Year's Eve.

That year was 1987.

But why?

The focus, according to the Festival of Sydney Organisers, was on 26 January 1988 - Australia's Bicentenary. This was confirmed on December 21, ten days before New Year's Eve. Stephen Hall (General Manager, Bicentennial Committee and Director of Special Bicentennial Events) told The Sydney Morning Herald (December 22, 1987) that the decision not to have a fireworks show was made the previous year

By then, it was too late for Harbour Cruise operators, city hotels and restaurants, some of whom expected a show and had advertised New Year's packages around it.

Was this the right decision?

No

New Year's Eve festivities in the 1980s were incorporated into the Sydney Festival and were regarded as the festival's launch. It lacks the scale of celebrations in recent years, but there was an expectation that a public event would be organised for Sydneysiders to welcome the new year. The first official New Year's Eve fireworks show on Sydney Harbour was held at midnight on New Year's Eve 1976 to welcome in 1977.

To use the Bicentennial celebrations on January 26 as an excuse was not justified. Any fireworks show was not going to overshadow what would happen just weeks later. The program on January 26 1988, was a day-long affair, with the fireworks spectacular just one of a number of major events on that program, which included the arrival of the First Fleet re-enactment ships and the Tall Ships parade. A fireworks show at midnight to welcome in 1988, would have been a good means to launch the Bicentennial Year in Sydney, even if it was only a scaled back version of what was planned for January 26.

Do we use New Year's Eve as an excuse not to have a fireworks show on Australia Day because both are just weeks apart - we don't. There is still a fireworks show for Sydneysiders on January 26. In recent years, it has shifted to Circular Quay just off the Sydney Opera House and is integrated with a concert on the Sydney Opera House forecourt and the Sydney Harbour Bridge is lit up. It is even relegated the Darling Harbour Fireworks Show, which has been the traditional Australia Day fireworks show for Sydneysiders, to the side

It also meant that Melbourne could claim bragging rights to the biggest New Year's Eve party in Australia that year as they organised a midnight fireworks show to launch the Bicentennial Year, which also coincided with celebrating the arrival of the Tall Ships at Port Melbourne. The event was televised on Channel Seven and Prime Minister Bob Hawke led the countdown to midnight

How did Sydneysiders welcome in 1988?

Extra public transport services were provided to give Sydneysiders a chance to travel to the city to welcome in the New Year. An estimated 150,000 people gathered at The Rocks, while 20,000 were reported to have gathered at Kings Cross. No fireworks meant it was quieter than past years according to The Rocks police. 

Below is a two page spread from The Daily Mirror (January 1, 1988)

Police ensured that they had a tough presence. Even before the sun set the first arrest had already been made.

Source: Brown, M. "Handcuffs at 7.15 started a quiet New Year's Eve". The Sydney Morning Herald, January 1: 2.

And believe it or not, organisers decided not to do one to welcome 1989. The reason given by the organisers of the Sydney Festival of fears of violence or "rowdy behaviour"

Another lost opportunity as well - It could have closed off the Bicentennial Year with a "bang".

New Years Eve 1989 marked the return of New Years Eve fireworks to Sydney with the main show (promoted as Skyshow) at a friendlier time of 9pm. This would encourage families to attend and to enable people to celebrate either at home or elsewhere at midnight.  

Entry of Interest

New Years Eve 25 Years Ago:1989

 

Property Advert of the Week: The Gazebo (2001)

The Gazebo at Kings Cross operated as a hotel between 1969 and closed in "the 1990s", though I tend to believe that it closed in 2001 when apartments went on sale in the former hotel. The conversion to apartments was completed in 2005. 

Why the decision to convert to apartments? Following the Sydney Olympics in 2000, there was an oversupply of hotel rooms in Sydney. There was also an increased preference for travellers to stay in Central Sydney, and for hotel operators in Kings Cross, it was more economical to convert hotels into apartment blocks. 

In the newspaper advertisement below from 2001, large studios were on sale from $375 000, 1 bedroom apartments from $495 000, 2 bedrooms from $635 000. Three-bedroom apartments were on sale, but prices were not advertised.

 

Source: City Project Marketing. 2001 "gazebo... good design comes full circle" (advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, November 17: 25A (Domain Liftout).

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: La Galleria Kings Cross (1987)

Above: A Cross section of La Galleria as viewed from the north (Kings Cross Road elevation). Full Citation below.

In 1987, the site of what is presently the Elan and Altair Apartments at Kings Cross was owned by developer Sir Sid Londish, who had purchased the one-hectare site located above the Kings Cross tunnel for $11 million the previous year. 

Source: Robertson, R. 1987. "Londish building cut by six levels". The Eastern Herald (The Sydney Morning Herald Supplement), December 10: 32.

A 32-storey hotel tower was to rise above a massive podium containing retail and commercial space. The estimated cost was estimated to be just under $300 million, according to a 1990 newspaper report in The Australian. 

The plans mentioned in the article are modified plans that were unveiled several months earlier and were criticised for being "too bulky" in its podium levels. The modified plans were welcomed by local residents. 

Plans were changed in 1989 when a 48-storey apartment tower was proposed for the site citing the increased appeal of inner city apartments.  

In 1990 the site was sold to Rushcutter Properties Limited (a subsidiary of General Accident Plc, UK), and the purchaser could pursue either scheme. Ultimately, the focus shifted to residential, leading to the demise of this proposal and, ultimately the Elan Tower (1997) and Altair (2000).  

Sourced from: Pottinger, P. 1990. "Kings Cross tunnel site is on the market - at $55m". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 10: 29.

Property Advert of the Week: The Claridge Kings Cross (1966)

In 2016, I posted an advertisement for The Claridge at Kings Cross. Below is another advertisement for the same complex from 1966. This advertisement has a photograph of the completed complex.

Source: Parkes Developments Pty. Ltd. 1966. Untitled (Advertisement). The Sun, October 14:49.

Related Entry

Property Advert of the Week: The Claridge Kings Cross (1966) - Posting from 2016.

Remember This? The Changing City Photo Feature (1971)

Below are two photos that were published in a photo feature The Changing City, in The Daily Telegraph on 13 May 1971. The photos focus on the demolition of homes for the Eastern Suburbs Railway Line. The second photo also features highrise development taking place in the area, with the Kingsgate Hotel rising in the background. Note that Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo at the time were being subject to rezoning for highrise development, and proposals for highrise buildings had also been lodged, which were set to transform the area. However, with a few exceptions, the highrise developments did not proceed, and the area was allowed to retain its current densities and streetscapes. 

Property Advert of the Week: Top of the Town (2001)

For around 35 years The Top of the Cross/Town Motel was a popular hotel in Kings Cross. In 2001 apartments went on sale before it was formally converted to an apartment tower in 2003.

When I see this advertisement, it feels like its not from 2001 at all. Even the render looks old.

Source: Cramer Property Agents & Hayson Sales. 2001. "Top of the Town" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, February 17: 18A (Domain liftout). 

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: 1500 unit development in Darlinghurst (1970)

Image sourced from: Frykberg, I. 1970. "1,500 new homes for Cross". The Sydney Morning Herald, June 13: 6. 

In 1970, plans were released for a 1500 unit development on a Darlinghurst site bounded by Darlinghurst Road, Liverpool Street, Forbes Street, and Farrell Avenue.

This included three towers with heights of:

594 feet (182 metres)
548 feet (167 metres)
459 feet (140 metres)

The towers would rise over a landscaped podium with the towers consuming just 25 % of the five and a half hectare site.

Apart from "resort style" facilities, there was also a small retail complex to be built to provide for the residents.

Image sourced from: Anon. 1970. "Plaza plan for the Cross". The Sydney Morning Herald, June 25: 27. 

What would have happened had it been built?

Firstly, the nearby Horizon Tower would not be so lonely!!! It would struggle for attention like it does today.

But I do believe if events had stayed the same, the towers would still dominate the area today and would rather to a testament to bad planning of the period. With development limited, they could remain there uncontested.

Property Advert of the Week: The Tor, Kings Cross (1965)

Below is an advertisement for "The Tor" at Kings Cross dating from 1965.

Source: Parkes Developments Pty. Ltd. 1965. "Home Units in the Heart of Kings Cross/Elizabeth Bay/Potts Point.  The Daily Telegraph, April 10: 22.

Property Advert of the Week: Rockwall Gardens (1997)

This week, we head to Potts Point. In 1997, apartments were for sale in the Rockwall Gardens complex in Macleay Street. 

Source: Colliers Jardine. 1997. ""Rockwall Gardens" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, May 24:  15RE (Real Estate Liftout). 

Property Advert of the Week: The Claridge Kings Cross (1966)

In 1966, one bedroom and studio apartments were for sale in The Claridge at Kings Cross for $8950. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, the apartments would have cost just $112 000 in todays money. Today they go for about $400 000.



Source: Parkes Developments. 1966. "Kings Cross Studio Home Units" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, February 12: 24.

1996: The Elan Penthouse goes on sale

It has come to my attention that the penthouse at The Elan apartment tower in Kings Cross is for sale. Sadly though the price is being kept secret, but two decades ago they were not afraid to reveal how much the penthouse could go for - at least $7 million.

Source: Skelsey, M. 1996. "$10 million view: That's $15 000 for every square metre". The Daily Telegraph, September 26: 15. 

1971: Kingsgate Hotel Opens

This week, I share with you an advertisement for the former Kingsgate Hotel at Kings Cross which opened as a "motor inn" in 1971.

You might remember my entry from some time ago where I mentioned an alternate scheme from 1969. A globe was proposed in place of an antenna and the complex would have included a three-screen cinema complex.

The Kingsgate just before conversion to apartments in 2003.
Photo by the Author.

It did trade for a number of years as a Hyatt Hotel then in its final years was the Millennium Hotel. In 2003, it was converted into the Zenith Apartment Tower. It was one of many well known Kings Cross Hotels that closed in that time following the 2000 Olympic Games and subsequent "oversupply" of hotel rooms.

Zenith Apartment Tower (2009)
The photo was taken by the Author.

 The only thing that hasn't changed is the Coke sign, still reigning supreme.

1999: Frank Sartor & the Cross City Tunnel

In 1999, planning was underway for the Cross City Tunnel. Sydney City Council was led by Lord Mayor Frank Sartor.

At the time, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) had proposed a 1.6-kilometre tunnel to run under the city from the intersection of Druitt and Kent Streets through to the Eastern Distributor with portals linking through to William Street. Motorists would pay a $2 toll.

Source: Skelsey, M. 1999. "Digging deeper: Sartor pushes $140m city tunnel extension". The Daily Telegraph, April 13: 15.

Frank Sartor commissioned a study to determine whether it should be extended further. Leading architects, Donald Crone, Harry Seidler and Phillip Cox proposed extending it through the eastern end of the Kings Cross Tunnel at Rushcutters Bay. This would also allow the council to fulfil their decades-long vision of turning William Street into a pedestrian boulevard.

In September that year, the tunnel was extended to Kings Cross end of the Kings Cross Tunnel with a $2.50 toll. Three years later, the final route extended it further east to the Rushcutters Bay end of the Kings Cross Tunnel.

As for the boulevard, the opening of the tunnel in 2005 led to an attempt to reduce the number of lanes on William Street. This failed when traffic stayed away from the tunnel due to the initial $3.56 toll. William Street still carries large traffic volumes. As for the council, that vision for William Street, remains a vision.

1994: Rap Jumping in Sydney

For a while in the 1990s one building in Kings Cross was happy for people to let people engage in rap jumping where they abseil down a building as if they were walking, abelt at a 90-degree angle. It was at the Hotel Crest (currently Hotel Mercure Sydney Potts Point). The concept of rap jumping was used by Australian troops in the Vietnam War and allows gunmen to fire while abseiling down a cliff. Macka Mackail, a former SAS officer was operating the business.

Source: Wockner, S. 1994. "Rap jumping craze is a full-frontal business." The Daily Telegraph, January 25: 5.

However, if you want to rap jump off a building, Urban Central at Southbank in Inner Melbourne offers it, and from my knowledge, the only highrise building in Australia that currently offers it.

1972: Sydney's Telenews Ticker

Our older readers might remember back in the 1970's when The Daily Telegraph had its own news ticker amongst the neon signs and street lights of Kings Cross. It was unveiled in 1972 on the podium of the Crest Hotel.

Source: Anonymous. 1972. "Times Square at the Cross". The Daily Telegraph, December 21: 5. 

I don't know when it got pulled down at this stage. But Channel Seven in late 2004, unveiled their own "telenews" ticker around its Sydney News Centre at 52 Martin Place allowing Sydneysiders to once again get their news while on the move. The ABC has one at the rear of its studios at Ultimo. In a fast-paced world, getting the news quickly is as important as ever.

Source: Anonymous. 2015 . Untitled [digital image]. April 26. http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/148654966-pedestrians-walk-past-a-news-ticker-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7QV16n1Y%2BV3aVQMc0PVGpTXnVAG9anZlY9l1ymFuHBJQ9

As for the Crest Hotel, there is a development application currently before Sydney City Council to convert the building into apartments.

The proposed design for the apartment complex to replace the Crest Hotel. It was posted by the forumer  Upwards on the Skyscrapercity.com forum. 

Property Advert of the Week: The Elan, Kings Cross (1997)

This weeks advertisement is for The Elan at Kings Cross dating from 1997.

Source: Rushcutters Properties Limited. 1997. "The Elan (Advertisement). " The Sunday Telegraph, October 19: 10.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Alternative scheme for the Kingsgate Hotel, Kings Cross (1969)

I was quite surprised when I came across this design for the Kingsgate Hotel at Kings Cross (Now Zenith Apartments). Instead of having an antenna atop the building, what appears to be a globe tops it off like that atop the Daily Planet Building in Superman. Personally, Kings Cross might have ended up with another icon alongside the Coke sign at its podium. I'm surprised that the Daily Telegraph didn't make the effort to comment on it.

I'm not sure at this stage why they took it off, but my bet is cost cutting???

Source: Anonymous. 1969. "Kings Cross Skyscraper". The Daily Telegraph, August 26:14.

1964: The Beatles in Sydney

To mark the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles Australian Tour, I managed to scour through the archives of The Sydney Morning Herald online and share some of the photos as taken by photographers at the paper.

The "Fab Four" arrived on a cold and windy day at Sydney Airport on June 11, 1964, where large crowds braved the elements to greet them. Sydney was the first stop on their tour of Australia and New Zealand. They did not perform that day and flew to Adelaide the next day to present their first set of concerts before heading to Melbourne.

On June 18, The Beatles returned to Sydney. They performed six concerts over three nights at the Sydney Stadium, Rushcutters Bay performing to a combined crowd of about 40-50 000 people (conservative figure but could be 60 000). The image below was taken from the first two concerts. We think young girls go crazy for groups like One Direction but that was nothing compared to this. Imagine a young girl hearing this today from their grandmother.

And they attracted big crowds to their hotel at Kings Cross (Sheraton Hotel, Macleay Street) hoping to score a glimpse of the group. This was taken on June 18, 1964. Police was stretched to the limit in controlling the crowds.

I also came across a newsreel which documents their visit to Sydney. It also includes footage of their visit to Adelaide, where crowds of 350 000 welcomed them to the city (They believe it was half the population of the city at that time).