Australian Red Cross Sells Sydney CBD Headquarters For $31 Million

THE New South Wales headquarters of the Australian Red Cross has sold for $31 million.

The eight-level building at 153-159 Clarence Street in the Sydney CBD was purchased by Melbourne based developer and construction group St Hilliers.

The art deco building has been the headquarters of the ARC and Red Cross Blood Service since 1974, but was built around 1938-1939 as a warehouse and showroom for wholesalers S. Hoffnug and Co.

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Australand Consortium to Build Apartment Compound Opposite Melbourne Uni

GIVEN the increasing number of apartment dwellers calling Melbourne’s inner north home, a “direct” trip between the Tullamarine and Eastern freeways – via the zoo and cemetery – can now consume motorist’s an hour, or more, largely because of amplified traffic congestion.

But it would appear in government planning meetings, bottlenecks like that around Elliott Avenue, Macarthur Road and the University of Melbourne have received less consideration than other crisis-ridden road systems – like the ones in suburbs between Seaford and Mt Martha where the $759 million (and many say unnecessary) Peninsula Link was recently given the green light.

Instead, the state government has appointed builder Australand to develop a major apartment compound at one of the inner-city’s last remaining vacant development sites, opposite the Melbourne General Cemetery, the University of Melbourne – and the busy roundabout that connects these two sites to Swanston Street.

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Evolve Developmenet Acquires Former Channel Seven Office and Proposes $190 Million Guilfoyle Tower

Ron WalkerEVOLVE Development, the burgeoning Melbourne-based builder spearheaded by ex-Fairfax chairman Ron Walker, and business partner Ashley Williams, will develop its largest project to date in South Melbourne.

The developer is believed to have paid Westpac Funds Management about $15 million for the 35 – 47 Coventry Street development site once occupied by Channel Seven as its head office.

Westpac acquired the asset after builder St Hilliers, which bought the site from Seven in 2003, drafted a residential conversion plan for the disused office, but never proceeded with building it.

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