MLC Centre
The MLC Centre is a skyscraper in the Sydney city centre. This office building is 228 metres (748 ft) high[1] and has 67 storeys.[2] It was designed by Sydney architect Harry Seidler, and remains one of his most definitive works. The building was awarded the Sir John Sulman medal by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.[1]
| MLC Centre | |
|---|---|
 MLC Centre Sydney | |
| |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Mixed |
| Location | 19-29 Martin Place, Sydney |
| Coordinates | 33.868019°S 151.20932400000004°E |
| Opening | 1977[1] |
| Owner | Dexus |
| Height | |
| Roof | 228 m (748 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 67[2] |
| Lifts/elevators | 26[3] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Harry Seidler |
| Developer | MLC Limited |
| Main contractor | Civil & Civic |
| Website | |
| www | |
Location and features
The building is a stark white, modernist column in an octagonal floorplan, with eight massive load-bearing columns in the corners that taper slightly towards the top. It is one of the world's tallest reinforced concrete buildings and was one of the tallest buildings in the world outside North America at the time of its completion. The MLC Centre was Sydney's tallest office building from 1977 to 1992.[1] The MLC Centre is wholly owned by Dexus, which acquired a half-stake in the property from the Queensland Investment Corporation in June 2017[4] and bought out its former co-owner, the GPT Group, in March 2019.[5] The MLC Centre was also Australia's tallest building for nine years until losing the title to the Rialto Towers in Melbourne in 1986.
Occupants include the Sydney Consulate of the United States of America. The podium of the building includes a shopping centre and a 1,186 seat theatre, the Theatre Royal.
The building underwent a $100m repair project which installed hybrid corrosion protection to the facade. The project retained the original appearance of the structure but remedied damage to exposed aggregate precast concrete facade panels caused by expansive corrosion of steel reinforcement.
Site controversy
The building's construction was controversial, since it brought about the demolition in 1971-2 of the famous 19th century Australia Hotel, the Theatre Royal, and the splendid Commercial Travellers Club building on the corner of Martin Place, all of which formerly stood on the site, as well as much of the historic Rowe Street precinct.
In popular culture
The building was the centre of the storyline in the first episode of the Australian television drama, Police Rescue, airing in 1991. Sergeant Steve "Mickey" McClintock (Gary Sweet) is seen abseiling off the top of the building in the first half of the episode to persuade a man threatening to commit suicide not to jump.
Gallery
View from Sydney Tower
The Australia Hotel, 1932, demolished to make way for the MLC Centre._(7417190710)_(2).jpg)
Martin Place in the early 1950s. The building on the corner to the left is the Commercial Travellers Club Building and the 'modern' (c1930) twin-wings of the Australia Hotel next to it were demolished in 1971-2 to make way for the MLC Centre.
Podium area
Theatre Royal building
References
- MLC Centre, Sydney | Emporis.com
- MLC Centre - Welcome to the MLC Centre Archived 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
- MLC Centre - Lifts Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Dexus to raise $550m in Sydney office push The Australian 21 June 2017
- Dolor, Sol. "HSF helps sell half-stake in Sydney's iconic MLC Centre". Australasian Lawyer. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
External links
| Preceded by AMP Centre |
Tallest building in Australia 1977 - 1986 |
Succeeded by Rialto Towers (Melbourne) |
| List of tallest buildings in Australia | |||||
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| Heights are to highest architectural element. | |||||