Melbourne & Australian Architecture Topics

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ ... 81961.html

From The Age

'Very Melbourne' kind of shopping idea in the works
Clay Lucas and Sarah-Jane Collins
November 21, 2007

A HUGE new shopping centre will emerge in the city centre, part of a frenzy of retail building sparked by the redevelopment plans of the city's biggest department stores.

David Jones yesterday announced it would sell part of its city store in Little Bourke Street, where its homewares department is now located, to Colonial First State for $50 million. The retailer will use some of the money to revamp its remaining city space.

In March, Colonial First State also bought half of Myer Melbourne's city store, which adjoins the site sold yesterday.

The two sold sites, which together take up almost half a city block, will now be combined by Colonial First State to create the new retail centre.

The centre will be linked to David Jones by a new skybridge over Little Bourke Street, which Melbourne City Council has warned must be transparent and must not double as a new space for large-scale advertising.

The new centre, which would butt up against both David Jones and Myer, would "reactivate the lanes" in that block, said David Jones' retail development manager, Antony Karp. "They are going to create a very Melbourne kind of retailing precinct."

A series of new laneway retail spaces will be created on the obscure Caledonian Lane, now home to the popular St Jeromes bar.

Ultimately that bar could be gone, with the laneway space used as a major entrance to the new shopping centre.

The move by David Jones to sell off part of its store follows Myer's decision in March to quit its Lonsdale Street store and complete a $500 million redevelopment in its Bourke Street store.

The redeveloped building will be crowned by a 10-metre-high glass dome over a rooftop events space.

At the same time, David Jones said yesterday it would spend $85 million to completely overhaul its two Bourke Street stores, increasing retail space by 30%.

The refurbishment will emphasise the high-profile and boutique brands available only from the department store.

The retailer is also set to urge Planning Minister Justin Madden to deem the project of state significance, so that it can start work by March. Myer argued successfully last month that its redevelopment was of state significance and must be approved by Mr Madden. David Jones believes the same arguments should apply to it.

A spokesman for Mr Madden said last night that no formal application for the works had been received from David Jones.

But it has spoken to the minister's office about the project.
David Jones wants to complete the work at the same time as Myer's Bourke Street revamp.

"We want to minimise the impact on the city," said Mr Karp, who said the new retail spaces created by the two department stores and their new neighbour would become "the best retail precinct in the country".

Melbourne City Council's planning chairwoman, Catherine Ng, said it was "fantastic news" for Melbourne.

"We have been looking forward to having a better connection throughout the retail core," she said.

"This will provide greater connectivity."
She said it was important that the skybridge was transparent and not a new place for advertising "sky signs".

There is nothing wrong with the lanes in that area.

They are filled with quaint old buildings.

Exactly what we don't need - walls of boring glass.

It is not going to make me want to shop at DJ's any more than I do at the moment, which is hardly ever.

Caledonian Lane is crowded with putrid garbage bins at the rear of a row of Swanston St restaurants.
It is nauseating . I have seen tryhard St Jeromes types sipping lattes on the street in the most appauling conditions. The price some pay for being seen!
Obviously this will all have to go.

^^ That would have to be the most offensive remark you have ever made goatrooster!

A review of St Jerome's by Mark Davies

St Jerome's, in a long alley next to Myer, plays innocent cafe during the day. Bring on the evening though, and it ditches the foccacias and goes grunge.

Inside? Super tiny. Barely 8m x 5m, and something you'd expect in the back streets of Paris, not Melbourne. Delightful little piles of clutter, second hand lamps, and beers served by the can.

Push through all that and end up in the courtyard. You'll find a DJ spinning away rockin' tunes, speakers on milk crates, alternative types everywhere, and a vibe that you haven't seen since the Big Day Out.

How it all came together is a mystery to us. St Jerome's is hands down one of the most leftfield venues ever. It's alternative, drum'n'bass, electro, indie. If you're the chilled type, you'll like St Jerome's as a perfect starting spot.



Pic by moi.

I am personally not keen on those run-down grungy lanes such as Caladonian and St Jeromes. But I appreciate that they seem to have some attraction for others.

This discussion regarding the redevelopment of Myer has been covered in depth on SSC (see here) where "Aussie Steve" posted a render of the proposed Myer Lonsdale redevelopment here.

In essence, it has been proposed that Lonsdale House in Lonsdale Street be demolished to make way for a new extension to the Myer building.

Here are some pics I have taken of the affected buildings....

Lonsdale House with Caledonian Lane on the left side:



Here's a shot showing Lonsdale House's connection to Myer:



And this is my attempt at a "before" and "after" using the render supplied by "Aussie Steve".

I have colourised it to make it look as it would in the day. The "official" render is useless... so I altered it with the look of the real buildings and the real street. (BTW I couldn't get the McDonald's/Bank building to align but all else fits).

BEFORE



AFTER



I have thought about this and decided that I am mildly against this proposal. I don't think it will enhance the existing Myer buildings at all, rather clash with them in the most disrespectful way. In terms of Caladonian Lane, I am indifferent.

If I ignore my heritage concerns and simply focus on aesthetics for a tic, I think they'd be better to knock Lonsdale House and those two Victorian-era shopfronts down and just build beside Myer. But of course I don't want that to happen.

There is a new Myer website with some info... it's not terribly useful now but maybe they'll add more details later: MyNewMyerMelbourne.com.au

The David Jones will have it's Little Bourke Street store renovated to look like this:


I don't mind it at all, based on the render.

As I said earlier, my main concern with this proposal is for the future of Lonsdale House. I really think this building is way too good to destroy.

It will be interesting to see how this all pans out...