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Melbourne's diminishing heritage
And as I just wrote elsewhere:
It's pathetic that it even needs to get to this. Why the government and Heritage Victoria (who should all join the queue at Centrelink given their recent performance) are supporting the development of a lacklustre city is beyond me. This sort of alteration of the city landscape serves no purpose in a modern city that still offers plenty of development space (stick modern buildings in the wasteland that is the Docklands, or further up Swanston Street where plenty of other lovely buildings have already been destroyed to make way for.... gravel). What's more, placing this kind of development right in the heart of the city and in a key tourist area, only serves to remove Melbourne's international standing.
And let's not forget the impetus behind this: shopping. I hate to break it to MYER and David Jones, but the reason for their dwindling customer base versus population growth comes down to a number of things:
* Terrible service
* Terrible stock
* Over priced terrible stock
* The lack of a shopping experience shoppers actually partake in
Now given their drunken ways (I write that having witness a drunk board member of one of the two companies fondle up a few models while his wife was only a few metres away) this is all probably news to them; what's also news to them is that this drive to rip out the heart of the city won't address any of their problems. Sure, I'm sure it'll drive some short term sales. But then the buildings will rapidly become unfashionable (let's face it, they already feel dated) and fashionable shoppers won't want to turn up there. Then they'll be back to scraping the barrel with for the same unfashionable, sales orientated shoppers that have practically turned the two former department stores into permanent sales stores. If you know Swanston Street you'll know that everyday is Boxing Day at Arthur Daley's, MYER, and David Jones.
What they should instead be doing is playing up their heritage (of which the buildings form the largest extent) because heritage = luxury, luxury shoppers = wealth shoppers, and that equates to that little thing called a growing bottom line. Couple all that with some good stock and staff that seem to have a pulse (David Jones has the worst service of the two) and they might be onto a winning combination.
But alas, it's too late for them. They're already up there with their plans to place themselves as the two Dimmeys of Bourke Street in a few short years.
It's pathetic that it even needs to get to this. Why the government and Heritage Victoria (who should all join the queue at Centrelink given their recent performance) are supporting the development of a lacklustre city is beyond me. This sort of alteration of the city landscape serves no purpose in a modern city that still offers plenty of development space (stick modern buildings in the wasteland that is the Docklands, or further up Swanston Street where plenty of other lovely buildings have already been destroyed to make way for.... gravel). What's more, placing this kind of development right in the heart of the city and in a key tourist area, only serves to remove Melbourne's international standing.
And let's not forget the impetus behind this: shopping. I hate to break it to MYER and David Jones, but the reason for their dwindling customer base versus population growth comes down to a number of things:
* Terrible service
* Terrible stock
* Over priced terrible stock
* The lack of a shopping experience shoppers actually partake in
Now given their drunken ways (I write that having witness a drunk board member of one of the two companies fondle up a few models while his wife was only a few metres away) this is all probably news to them; what's also news to them is that this drive to rip out the heart of the city won't address any of their problems. Sure, I'm sure it'll drive some short term sales. But then the buildings will rapidly become unfashionable (let's face it, they already feel dated) and fashionable shoppers won't want to turn up there. Then they'll be back to scraping the barrel with for the same unfashionable, sales orientated shoppers that have practically turned the two former department stores into permanent sales stores. If you know Swanston Street you'll know that everyday is Boxing Day at Arthur Daley's, MYER, and David Jones.
What they should instead be doing is playing up their heritage (of which the buildings form the largest extent) because heritage = luxury, luxury shoppers = wealth shoppers, and that equates to that little thing called a growing bottom line. Couple all that with some good stock and staff that seem to have a pulse (David Jones has the worst service of the two) and they might be onto a winning combination.
But alas, it's too late for them. They're already up there with their plans to place themselves as the two Dimmeys of Bourke Street in a few short years.
as an architecture student, i have been taught the beauty of the old and how to ensure new designs fit in with the existing space- this stuff is just eww! i dont understand why people feel the need to design this way, and why councils feel the need to approve their designs...
Justin Madden proves his ignorance, and his intent to destroy Melbourne.
The demolition of Lonsdale House has been approved.
:(
The demolition of Lonsdale House has been approved.
:(
Post Last Updated: 27.07.2009 at 01.56
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