World Square

Last updated

World Square
City square
World tower, Sydney.jpg
World Square Tower from Liverpool Street in 2009 with the now demolished Sydney Monorail in the foreground
Constructionc.1990 c.2007
Amenities
  • Residential apartments
  • Commercial offices
  • Retail
  • Restaurants
  • Hotel and serviced apartments
  • Parking
  • Childcare facilities
  • Open civic square
Architectural style Modernist
OwnerISPT Pty Ltd and AWPF Management No.2 Pty Ltd
LocationBounded by George, Liverpool, Pitt and Goulburn Streets, Brickfield Hill, Sydney CBD, Australia
OSM central Sydney.png
Red pog.svg
World Square
Location in the Sydney central business district
Coordinates: 33°52′39″S151°12′24″E / 33.87750°S 151.20667°E / -33.87750; 151.20667
Website worldsquare.com.au

World Square is a large shopping centre and urban development in the Sydney Central Business District.[1]

Contents

It fills an entire Sydney city block, bounded by George, Liverpool, Pitt and Goulburn Streets, on what was a small hill called Brickfield Hill.

World Square features a shopping centre, hotels, office buildings and residential apartment towers. Liverpool Lane, off Liverpool Street, is part of World Square and features restaurants, cafes and take away shops. It is also the home of Southern Cross Austereo's Sydney radio stations Triple M and 2Day FM.

Aerial view of Anthony Hordern & Sons' Palace Emporium Anthony Hordern and Sons- 20th December 1936 (18832395934).jpg
Aerial view of Anthony Hordern & Sons' Palace Emporium

Buildings

History

The site on which World Square now stands was originally home to the Anthony Hordern & Sons department store, a six-storey building which opened in 1905 on the former Brickfield Hill. The flagship store operated from 1905 until 1966 with the store converted to Horderns HomeWorld which operated until its closure in 1973. After the takeover of Anthony Hordern's by Waltons in January 1970, the Brickfield Hill site was then sold to Stocks and Holdings Ltd, for $8.5 million, ending 64 years of retail pioneering and ownership of the building by Anthony Hordern's Ltd.

Following the closure of the department store, the building operated as Palace Emporium and was subsequently used by the NSW Institute of Technology (now UTS). Palace Emporium and Institute of Technology operated in the building until the late 1970s. Since then the building remained vacant due to strict fire regulations changed and the building was no longer adequately fire-rated. [1]

In the early 1980s the building's new owner, a Singaporean-based Ipoh Garden Development planned to try to save the Anthony Hordern & Sons building. However it was found to be too costly after receiving independent advice from the CSIRO on the state of the building's concrete and other fittings. [2] The building was controversially demolished in 1986 which led to the site remaining undeveloped throughout most of the 1990s due to planning disputes. [3] During the dispute, scenes for the 1995 film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie were shot on the former property of Hordern & Sons and future site of World Square. [4]

In 1988 the now defunct Sydney Monorail stopped at the development's temporary 'built-in' station. The station was incorporated into the new building in 2005 and operated until 2013.

In 1999 the Avillion Hotel Sydney, Hordern Towers and stage 1 of the shopping centre was completed. The World Tower, Latitude, Latitude East and the final stages of the shopping centre was completed in 2004.

The shopping centre featured a Coles supermarket, Sony Centre, Rebel Sport, BaySwiss, Retravision and 80 stores. Retravision closed in 2008 and was replaced by JB Hi-Fi. In April 2015 Rebel Sport closed down. [5]

In 2016 ISPT acquired 50% stake of World Square with the other half owned by Arcadia Funds Management. [6]

Tenants

World Square has 16,567 m2 of floor space with major retailers including Australia Post, Coles, and JB Hi-Fi. [7]

Incidents and accidents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raffles Place</span> Place in Singapore

Raffles Place is the centre of the Financial District of Singapore and is located south of the mouth of the Singapore River. It was first planned and developed in the 1820s as Commercial Square to serve as the hub of the commercial zone of Singapore in Raffles Town Plan. It was renamed Raffles Place in 1858 and is now the site of a number of major banks. It is located in the Downtown Core within the Central Area, and features some of the tallest buildings and landmarks of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Bros</span> Defunct Australian department store chain

Grace Bros was an Australian department store chain, founded in 1885. It was bought by Myer in 1983. There were 25 stores across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory plus a few in Victoria, until they were re-branded under the Myer name in 2004. Well known media personality Deborah Hutton was the face of Grace Bros for 10 years between 1984 and 1994 and employed slogans such as "Sure to get it at Grace Bros", "We are all the things you are", "We care about you" and "imagine more" to the tune of American singer Ultra Nate's "Free". Other slogans during Coles Myer ownership include "That's Grace Bros for you" (1991-1994), "Great prices and more at your Grace Bros store", "where else" (1999-2002), "Grace Bros is..." (2002) and the long-running Myer slogan still in use to this day, "My Store Grace Bros".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Street, Sydney</span> Street in Sydney, Australia

Liverpool Street is a street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latitude (building)</span> Skyscraper in Sydney, Australia

Latitude is a skyscraper in Sydney's CBD, part of the World Square complex bounded by George, Goulburn, Liverpool and Pitt Streets in Sydney, Australia. Designed by Greg Crone, Latitude stands at a height of 222 m (728 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downing Centre</span> Heritage-listed building in Sydney, Australia

The Downing Centre is a major heritage-listed former department store and now courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features state government courts, including the Local Court, the District Court, and a law library known as the Downing Centre Library. The Downing Centre forms part of the Department of Communities and Justice and houses court services and sheriffs offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Tower</span> Residential skyscrapter in Sydney, Australia

The World Tower is a residential skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. Designed by Fender Katsalidis, it stands at a height of 230 m (750 ft), making it the second tallest residential building in the city, surpassed by Greenland Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Hordern & Sons</span>

Anthony Hordern & Sons was a major department store in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With 52 acres of retail space, Anthony Hordern's was once the largest department store in the world. The historic Anthony Hordern building, which was located on a block bounded by George Street, Liverpool, Pitt and Goulburn Streets, on what was a small hill called Brickfield Hill in the Sydney central business district, was controversially demolished in 1986, to make way for the World Square development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Sydney</span> Overview of the architecture in Sydney

The architecture of Sydney, Australia’s oldest city, is not characterised by any one architectural style, but by an extensive juxtaposition of old and new architecture over the city's 200-year history, from its modest beginnings with local materials and lack of international funding to its present-day modernity with an expansive skyline of high rises and skyscrapers, dotted at street level with remnants of a Victorian era of prosperity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Foy's</span> Department store in Sydney, Australia

Mark Foy's Limited or Mark Foy's was a department store in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, founded by Francis Foy and his brother Mark Foy. The department store was named after their father, Mark Foy (senior), and traded between 1885 and 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Sydney</span> Shopping centre in Sydney, Australia

Westfield Sydney is a large, upmarket shopping centre in the Sydney central business district. It is located underneath the Sydney Tower and is located on Pitt Street Mall, adjacent to the MidCity, Glasshouse and near The Strand Arcade.

Waltons was an Australian department store chain, founded by John Walton (1904–1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brickfield Hill</span> Locality in inner city Sydney, Australia

Brickfield Hill is a City of Sydney locality in the Sydney central business district, Australia. The name was used for the surrounding settlement serving the colony's growing need for bricks, and today is part of the suburb of Surry Hills.

Marcus Clark & Co was an Australian department store chain, founded by Henry Marcus Clark in 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashfield Mall</span> Shopping mall in Ashfield, New South Wales

Ashfield Mall is a shopping centre in the suburb of Ashfield in the Inner West of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasshouse (Sydney)</span> Shopping mall in New South Wales, Australia

Glasshouse is an office and retail building in the Sydney central business district. It is located on the corner of King Street and Pitt Street Mall, adjacent to Westfield Sydney and is opposite MidCity, The Strand Arcade and Sydney Arcade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goulburn Post Office</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Goulburn Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 165 Auburn Street, Goulburn, Goulburn Mulwaree Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet and built from 1880 to 1881 by F. Horn. It is also known as Goulburn Post and Telegraph Office. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shubra Hall</span> A suburban estate in New South Wales, Australia

Shubra Hall is a heritage-listed former semi-rural suburban estate and mansion residence and now administration building for school purposes at Boundary Street in the Sydney suburb of Croydon, Municipality of Burwood, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Albert Bond and built from 1869 to 1888 in the Victorian Second Empire architectural style. It is also known as Presbyterian Ladies' College, PLC Croydon and Hordernville. The property is owned by the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 19 December 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Hotel, Sydney CBD</span> Heritage-listed pub in Sydney, Australia

Kings Hotel is a heritage-listed former pub and now commercial premises located at 138–140 Pitt Street, in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1879. It is also known as Trickett's Hotel and Sugar House. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grahame's Corner</span> Heritage-listed building in Sydney, Australia

Grahame's Corner is a heritage-listed commercial and office building located at 142-144 Pitt Street, in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by G. A. Morell and built from 1877 to 1882. It is also known as Grahams Corner and the AMFIS Building. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. "After 30 years, World Square finally lives up to the dream". Australian Financial Review. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  2. "Lost Sydney: Anthony Hordern & Sons department store". visitsydneyaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. Dick, Tim (7 January 2005). "Fixing the hole". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  4. Matthews, Paul (November 1995). "What REALLY Happened – the first MMPR Movie". Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  5. "50% off EVERYTHING at Rebel Sport World Square NSW". OzBargain. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  6. Object, object (10 February 2016). "ISPT Acquires 50% Interest in Sydney's World Square Shopping Centre". The Urban Developer. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  7. "World Square Shops". worldsquare.com.au. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  8. "Man critical after skyscraper fall". News.com.au. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  9. readJune 29, Erin Lyonsless than 2 min; NewsWire, 2020-1:24PMNCA (29 June 2020). "Man fighting for life after escalator fall". couriermail. Retrieved 3 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)