I love this building because it represents part of my childhood. It opened in 1967, when I was ten, and making my first visit to Sydney, from Melbourne, where there was nothing like this. Everyone who visited Sydney made a bee-line for it. . . it was probably Sydney's second biggest architectural attraction after the Harbour Bridge at that time (the Opera House wasn't to open for another 6 years, and was far more controversial than this). It was the first office tower block in Sydney.Rising 50 storeys (170m), the Harry Seidler designed round tower in Australia Square, was the tallest building in Australia from 1967 to 1976. There's a revolving restaurant on top (of course!) .
Culwalla Chambers, a brick building completed in 1912 at 50 metres in height, remained the tallest office building for many years. Its construction provoked a regulation limiting the height of buildings to 45 metres, a regulation which stayed in force until the 1960s.
Prior to this building, one of the tallest structures in Sydney (other than the Harbour Bridge arch) was the AWA Tower, which looks like a mini Eiffel Tower, and featured here previously.
The tallest building in Australia is now an all- residential tower block on the Gold Coast, called Q1 (323m) and the tallest office tower is 120 Collins St in Melbourne (264m) - midgets compared to Taipei 101, Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Sears Tower in Chicago.
looks stunning Sally, great shot.
ReplyDeleteI think it's not common that the highest building is a residential one, but i like it :) I wonder what their inhabitans see from their windows!
ReplyDeleteAmazing building!
Hi again Sally, still working on my links....don't hold your breath. I remember when I was a kid going in to Australia Square just after it opened, and it was such big-time. AND I remember when the old AMP building , at Circular Quay, was opened, and it was the tallest building in Australia...I think that was the mid-60s, as I remember wagging primary school for a day and going in there with my 'boyfriend' who lived opposite Arncliffe park, in Broe Ave....shhhhh....why am I telling you all this?? Is this what happens on blogs??
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