108 St Georges Terrace
| 108 St Georges Terrace | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | Perth, Western Australia |
| Address | 108 St Georges Terrace |
| Coordinates | 31°57′16″S 115°51′25.5″E / 31.95444°S 115.857083°ECoordinates: 31°57′16″S 115°51′25.5″E / 31.95444°S 115.857083°E |
| Construction started | 1981 |
| Completed | 1988 |
| Cost | A$120 million |
| Owner | Brookfield Mutliplex (50%), Stockland (50%) |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 247 metres (810 ft) |
| Roof | 214 metres (702 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 50 (plus 2 below ground) |
| Floor area | 39,500 square metres (425,000 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 15 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Cameron Chisolm Nicol |
| Developer | Austmark International and R&I Bank |
| Main contractor | Multiplex |
108 St Georges Terrace or South32 Tower (formerly known as Bankwest Tower, the Bond Tower and the R&I Tower) is a 50-storey office tower in Perth, Western Australia. Completed in 1988, the building measures 214 metres (702 ft) to its roof and 247 metres (810 ft) to the tip of its communications antenna. It was the tallest building in Perth from its completion in 1988 until 1992 when it was overtaken in height by Central Park. As of 2012, it remains the third-tallest building in the city. The concrete tower has a distinctive profile, with a triangular plan.
The site occupied by the tower was home to the Palace Hotel, and organised opposition was formed to try to save that building from demolition to make way for an office tower. The site was subsequently acquired by businessman Alan Bond and the tower was approved and constructed in a plan that would retain much of the Palace Hotel. The tower then remained the headquarters of Bond's companies until their collapse. The tower has also been the headquarters of Western Australia's state bank, Bankwest (formerly known as the R&I Bank), between its completion and 2012.
The tower's prime location at the corner of William Street and St Georges Terrace was the site of the first licensed premises in Perth from the 1830s. The then-opulent Palace Hotel opened on this corner in 1897 during the days of the Western Australian gold rush, and developed a "colourful" history, hosting numerous celebrities of the time. The plot was purchased by the Commonwealth Banking Corporation, which announced in 1972 that it planned to redevelop the site as high-rise offices. During the 1950s and 1960s, many of Perth's older buildings had been demolished to make way for modern developments, which led to wide criticism of the Perth City Council for approving such redevelopments. In this atmosphere, wide public protest resulted and a lobby group of concerned citizens calling themselves "The Palace Guards" worked to save the historic building. This outcry led to condemnation of the plans and heritage listing of the property by the National Trust, and forced the Commonwealth Bank to ask the Federal Government to take the property off its hands. The property was subsequently purchased from the Commonwealth Bank by businessman Alan Bond in 1978 along with the adjacent Terrace Arcade.
...
Wikipedia