Most hated building in Melbourne: Princes Gate Towers

On the edge of the city (above Princes Gate railway station) stood the Princes Gate towers, commonly referred to as the Gas and Fuel building after its major tenant.

Located next to the Yarra, the 15-storey building (in two sections) boasted wonderful views to the south over the area that is now Southbank.

The land had been prone to flooding and several sections of the bank up to Princess Bridge were left clear. It wasn’t until 1871 that the government found a use for the land, when they constructed the city’s first morgue there. But that’s a story for another time.

The exciting and turbulent decades of the late 1950s and 1960s saw major change when many new buildings emerged in Melbourne, some of which became classics – such as the Sidney Myer Music Bowl (opened in 1959) and the National Gallery of Victoria (1968) in Southbank. New buildings were constructed with the mantra of bigger, higher and quicker.

The modernist Princes Gate buildings were financed by Meldon Pty Ltd and designed by the prominent firm of Leslie Perrott and Partners (also responsible for Nauru House in Exhibition St in 1977).

Constructed in 1967, they comprised twin brown brick towers (including a plaza and 14 shops), on the southern side of Flinders St. The intention of the building was to be the first step in covering the adjacent rail yards, which never actually eventuated.

The towers continually raised eyebrows and were regularly disparaged and became the most controversial building in Melbourne – despised by many but also admired by those who appreciated the modernist design.

Those who disliked the building did not necessarily object to its design but were often offended by its location as it provided a barrier that cut off the city from the Yarra and the view of the gardens from the city.

Visitors to the many tenants admired the wonderful view. Despite the discomfort (and cost) of visiting my dentist in the building, the views made up for it!

The buildings became a symbol of the shortcomings of planning in the 1960s and the advent of the Kennett government in 1992 resulted in increased pressure to remove the building.

It was demolished in 1997 to much public approval in order to make way for Federation Square, which ironically has also attracted much negative comment and controversy. •