Tow Truck building goes
Having long stood idle at 167 City Rd, the former Tow Truck Building was demolished by its owners last month.
While the building was known to have been occupied by squatters for some years, the demolition comes as its owners await an approval for a new development on the site.
A City of Melbourne spokesperson informed Southbank Local News that the site’s owners had submitted an application to build a multi-level residential hotel, food and drink premises.
While the building had fallen under a significant state of disrepair, the demolition comes as disappointing news to some in the local community who had hoped the old Art Deco building could be restored.
Owners’ corporation (OC) chair at neighbouring tower The Summit, Arji Fry, said the OC hired a consultant in 2013 to work with the building’s former owner and architect to devise a compromised design.
However, while the sketch of a proposed design (pictured) of a serviced apartment complex was put forward, the architects ultimately deemed it unviable and the building was subsequently sold.
Ms Fry said the OC had heard no news of any activity surrounding the site since.
Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) president Tony Penna said the demolition was somewhat welcomed considering its poor condition.
“It’s bitter-sweet in the sense that the building was a danger to the community,” he said. “It was being inhabited by squatters and it was potentially a danger to the squatters as we saw what happened in Footscray.”
“It’s positive to see that it’s not there from that perspective. However, it’s a disappointment that we’ve lost a piece of Art Deco heritage from the Southbank landscape.”