Original post 5 February 2017:

The #brewtower of the #YorkshireBrewery, Wellington Street, Collingwood, designed by #JamesWoodArchitect (son of one of the owners), and completed in 1876, reputedly the tallest structure in Melb at the time. Used to be highly visible, but buildings have grown up around its site within the block, so now it’s more of a discovery – which is nice in its own way. Abandoned for decades, with only the tower, some matching buildings and walls, and concrete silos remaining, high rise development schemes (and developers) came and went for 20 years until #SMAProjects bought it in 2012 and pretty quickly got planning permission for 14, 16, and 8 level towers, in return for restoring the old tower and the other remaining walls (cutting into the stables building though). The height of the towers was way beyond anything in the #CityofYarra at the time (except the stuff near the skipping girl) so it was pretty controversial. In 2017 seems almost piddly. But the new towers do pop up from great distances. And the space around the tower is squeezy, not like the design image. Photos 3, 4 from 2013, and last 3 from real estate showing one of the flats up there, and the attached stair tower.

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