A 135-year-old warehouse in Melbourne’s Southbank will be partially demolished in $100 million proposal to transform it into a mixed use precinct.
Norwegian architecture practice Snøhetta has designed the revamp of the site at 28 Clarendon Street, home to historic former Fergus and Mitchell Robur Tea House.
The Robur Tea House was built in 1887 and is today a persisting example of 19th century architecture and one of the few remaining traces of the industrial establishments that dominated Southbank until the late 20th century.
According to the application, the heritage building will be partially demolished to accommodate the construction of two new buildings on the site – the north building will be between three to six storeys while the south building will be 25 storeys. The $100 million will create a mixed-use precinct comprising a residential hotel, office and retail spaces, and a basement carpark.
Most of the ground floor would be occupied by retail, food and beverage tenancies and a lobby for the hotel. Revamped walkways will provide better connection for pedestrians from Clarendon Street with the addition of an adjacent garden forecourt.
The architects said the facade of the original building would be preserved and maintained, and new materials would be designed to match the existing architecture.
Plans have been submitted to partially demolish the Robur Tea House to create a new mixed-use building in Southbank.
Image: Snøhetta
The heritage-listed red brick warehouse has been recognised as a hallmark of innovation as one of the oldest examples of steel beam floors in Victoria.
In the 1880s, the Robur Tea House was erected on a “swampy site”, according to Heritage Victoria, and original engineer John Grainger devised a system of 450 ironbark piles and concrete rafts to support the six-storey structure. For many years, the Tea House was one of the tallest buildings outside the CBD.
A previous permit application for a 24-storey development on the site, submitted in 2017 by developer RJ International, was rejected by Heritage Victoria on the grounds that the new development would have “substantial detrimental impact” on the Tea House.
A City of Melbourne planners report recommended that a planning permit be granted for the proposal. Councillors will consider the proposal at a meeting on 16 August. A separate permit application is required by Heritage Victoria.
