The Myer Centre, Brisbane

The Myer Centre is located between the Queen Street Mall and Elizabeth Street in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a nine-floor shopping complex which includes Queensland's largest Myer department store, and is open to the public seven days a week. The Myer Centre has the added benefit of being the hub for the Brisbane CBD. Most buses originate and end near or under the Myer Centre. The Myer Centre Car Park is also one of the largest car parks in the heart of the city with easy access to everything in the city.

The Myer Centre
Level A entrance, corner of Albert and Elizabeth Streets
Coordinates27°28′12″S 153°01′30.75″E
Address91 Queen St
Opening date28 March 1988[1]
Public transit accessQueen Street bus station
Websitethemyercentre.com.au

Stores

The Myer Centre is home to approximately 180 stores.

Layout
Escalators in the central area of The Myer Centre

Due to the hilly landscape of the Brisbane CBD, The Myer Centre's floors are labelled differently to most shopping centres. Whereas many shopping centres label their floors purely by number (level 1, level 2, etc.) or its vertical position (lower level, upper level, etc.), The Myer Centre is laid out in the following fashion (lowest level to highest):

  • Level S (named after the former Sizzler restaurant): now a small parking area
  • Level T (Lower Target level, one lift only): Target
  • Level A (Albert Street entrance): Queen Street bus station, Target, food court
  • Level E (Elizabeth Street entrance): Coles Central, food court, specialty stores
  • Level Q (Queen Street entrance): Myer (Beauty Floor), specialty stores
  • Level 1 (first floor above any street level): Myer (Women's Floor), Lincraft, specialty stores
  • Level 2 (second floor above street levels): Myer (Men's Floor), DVD King, Daiso, Lincraft, Best & Less, Oxfam Shop, Skinnys
  • Level 3 (third floor above street levels): Myer (Homewares and Children's Floor) (accessed from within store only), Event Cinemas
  • Level 4 (fourth floor above street levels): Myer (Home Entertainment Floor) (accessed from within store only)
  • Level R (two lifts only): Centre Management

History

The Myer Centre shopping complex opened for trading on 28 March 1988[1] (just in time for Brisbane's World Expo '88) and Myer relocated its Brisbane department store into it.[2]

Previously, the original Brisbane Myer store extended from Queen Street to Adelaide Street, with entrances at both ends. That old location was on the opposite side of Queen Street to its current location in The Myer Centre. The old store was split in half by Burnett Lane and the arcade through today's Queen Adelaide Building used to be the main thoroughfare through the old Myer store. Myer purchased that original location from the Allan and Stark department store. The Allan and Stark Building are heritage listed. Originally, one of the entrances opened onto the busy Queen Street, before it was pedestrianised to become the Queen Street Mall in 1982.

The construction project by REMM Group Ltd went for 18 months, and required excavation of 375,000 cubic metres of earth, to a depth of 22 metres (eight metres below the Brisbane River level), which was the largest urban excavation in Australia at that time.[3]

Previously located on the site were four historic buildings of the Hotel Carlton (1885), New York Hotel (1860), Newspaper House, from which the Brisbane Telegraph was first published, and the Barry and Roberts department store. Using facadism, the facades of those buildings have been retained and restored.[3]

In November 1998 the Myer Centre was purchased by Gandel Retail Trust for $371 million, making it the second largest property transaction in Australia's history at that time.[3][4]

The top floor of the centre was a fun park, Top's, until it was demolished and replaced by a cinema in 2000.[5] The fun park comprised various small shops, an amusement centre, a swing ship, a dragon train, and a Ferris wheel.[6] When the theme park was operating, screams of excitement and terror could be heard from the patrons of both the swing ship and the dragon train. Prior to 2000, the cinemas were originally situated in the area now occupied by Target on one level only, and operated by Hoyts.[7]

In the past, the centre's tenants included fairly substantial nightclubs. In the early 1990s, the basement area (subsequently occupied by Sizzler) hosted "The Funkyard", a nightspot with an emphasis on the "alternative" guitar rock of the era. The Funkyard hosted live gigs; for example, the U.S. band Dark Carnival played there, with Ron Asheton of the Stooges on guitar. Another former tenant of the centre which played host to live music was the "Metropolis" nightclub, adjacent to the bus tunnel on Level "A", near the place now occupied by glamour photography shop "Starshots". Irish "shoegaze" band My Bloody Valentine played at Metropolis in 1991, supported by Straitjacket Fits (from New Zealand) and the Underground Lovers.

In 2005 the centre was purchased by Colonial First State Property group as part of the purchase of Gandels Centres.[8]

The centre was valued at A$732 million in 2012 when ISPT purchased a half stake.[9]

On 8 March 2013, the front of the Myer Centre was the scene of an hour-long siege. The gunman was subdued by police using rubber bullets.[10]

Transport

Car

The Myer Centre has Brisbane CBD's largest car park with 1,450 undercover car park bays and on-site staff available 24 hours a day. The car park uses Park Assist technology to guide drivers to an available bay and help find their car if the driver can't locate it on their return.[11]

Bus

Queen Street Bus Station on the Albert Street level of the complex.

Train

The Myer Centre is also within easy walking distance of three train stations:

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References
  1. Harley, Robert (27 May 1988). "VALUE OF MYER CENTRE JUMPS $25M". The Australian Financial Review (Late ed.). p. 69. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  2. JONES, MELISSA (21 April 1988). "REMM BUYS MYER QUEEN ST STORE IN BRISBANE FOR $50M". The Australian Financial Review (Late ed.). p. 55. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. "The Myer Centre". Archived from the original on 12 July 2002.
  4. House, Kathryn (16 September 1998). "Gandel wins $371 m trophy". The Australian Financial Review (Late ed.). p. 33. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  5. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-07/what-happened-dragon-coaster-tops-myer-centre-brisbane/9369924
  6. Wilson, Bob (13 July 2001). "Cinema tops for Myer Centre - No trading halts for this market leader". Courier Mail. p. 44. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  7. White, Allison (25 August 2000). "Major makeover for Myer Centre". Courier Mail. p. 41. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  8. Hele, Michelle (14 October 2005). "Gandel sells centre management business". The Courier-Mail (1 - First with the news ed.). Brisbane, Qld., Australia. p. 41. ISSN 1322-5235. ProQuest 354061928.
  9. chong, florence (23 February 2012). "Super fund to take half-stake in Myer Centre". The Australian (1 - All-round Country ed.). p. 29. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  10. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-08/gunman-in-brisbane27s-queen-street-mall/4560712
  11. "Myer Centre Car Park Brisbane - The Myer Centre Car Park". www.myercentrecarpark.com.au. Retrieved 13 February 2017.

The Myer Shopping Centre — official website

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