25 Martin Place

Skyscraper in Sydney, Australia

This article is about the tower on Martin Place formerly known as MLC centre. For other similar-named buildings, see MLC Building.

25 Martin Place
(formerly MLC Centre)

MLC Centre Sydney

General information
Status| Completed
Type| Commercial
Location| 19–29 Martin Place, Sydney
Coordinates| 33°52′05″S 151°12′34″E﻿ / ﻿33.868019°S 151.20932400000004°E﻿ / -33.868019; 151.20932400000004
Construction started| 1972
Opening| 1977; 47 years ago (1977)[1]
Owner| Dexus
Height
Roof| 228 m (748 ft)
Technical details
Floor count| 67[2]
Lifts/elevators| 26[3]
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Harry Seidler
Developer| MLC Limited
Main contractor| Civil & Civic
Website
www.25martinplace.com.au

25 Martin Place (formerly and still commonly known as the MLC Centre) is a skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. Originally named the "MLC Centre" after MLC Limited, and still commonly referred to by that name, in 2021 the name was removed by its owner, Dexus, which now refers to the building simply by its street address of 25 Martin Place.[4]

## Design and construction

[edit]

The building's construction was controversial, since it brought about the demolition in 1971-2 of the famous 19th century Australia Hotel, the Theatre Royal, and the splendid Commercial Travellers Club building on the corner of Martin Place, all of which formerly stood on the site.[5]

Designed by architect Harry Seidler, it stands at a height of 228 metres (748 ft) with 67 storeys,[1][2] and remains one of his most definitive works. The building was awarded the Sir John Sulman Medal by the Australian Institute of Architects.[1] The contractor was Civil & Civic. It was officially opened by the Governor-General, Sir Zelman Cowen, in September 1978.[5]

## Location and features

[edit]

The building is a stark white, modernist column in an octagonal floorplan, with eight massive load-bearing columns in the corners that taper slightly towards the top. It is one of the world's tallest reinforced concrete buildings and was one of the tallest buildings in the world outside North America at the time of its completion. The MLC Centre was Sydney's tallest office building from 1977 to 1992.[1] The MLC Centre is wholly owned by Dexus, which acquired a half-stake in the property from the Queensland Investment Corporation in June 2017[6] and bought out its former co-owner, the GPT Group, in March 2019.[7] The MLC Centre was also Australia's tallest building for nine years until losing the title to the Rialto Towers in Melbourne in 1986.

Occupants include the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney (TECO), Cognizant, Servcorp,[8] and former Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard.[9] The podium of the building includes a shopping centre and a 1,186-seat theatre, the Theatre Royal.[10]

The building underwent a $100m repair project which installed hybrid corrosion protection to the facade. The project retained the original appearance of the structure but remedied damage to exposed aggregate precast concrete facade panels caused by expansive corrosion of steel reinforcement. In June 2021, it was rebranded from the MLC Centre to 25 Martin Place.[11]

## In popular culture

[edit]

The building was the headquarters of the fictitious "Harper Mining" company in the opulent 1980's television soap opera Return to Eden.

The building was the centre of the storyline in the first episode of the Australian television drama, Police Rescue, airing in 1991. Sergeant Steve "Mickey" McClintock (Gary Sweet) is seen abseiling off the top of the building in the first half of the episode to persuade a man threatening to commit suicide not to jump.[citation needed]

## Gallery

[edit]

* View from Sydney Tower

* The Australia Hotel, 1932, demolished to make way for the MLC Centre.

* Martin Place in the early 1950s. The building on the corner to the left is the Commercial Travellers Club Building and the 'modern' (c. 1930) twin-wings of the Australia Hotel next to it were demolished in 1971–1972 to make way for the MLC Centre.

* Podium area

* Commercial Travellers' Association building

## See also

[edit]

* Architecture portal

* List of tallest buildings in Sydney
* Architecture of Sydney

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d MLC Centre, Sydney | Emporis.com[usurped]
2. ^ a b MLC Centre - Welcome to the MLC Centre Archived 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ MLC Centre - Lifts Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ Shopping Centre News - MLC Centre, Sydney gets a new name as part of a $170m transformation
5. ^ a b "MLC Centre Complex, including Theatre Royal, commercial and retail buildings significant interiors, plazas and artworks" (PDF). City of Sydney. 18 July 2018. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
6. ^ Dexus to raise $550m in Sydney office push The Australian 21 June 2017
7. ^ Dolor, Sol. "HSF helps sell half-stake in Sydney's iconic MLC Centre". Australasian Lawyer. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
8. ^ "Serviced Offices in Sydney | MLC Centre". www.servcorp.com.au. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
9. ^ Kearney, Simon (30 October 2010). "Former PMs costing us millions". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
10. ^ "Theatre Royal Sydney". Theatre Royal Sydney. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
11. ^ MLC Centre, Sydney gets a new name as part of a $170m transformation Shopping Centre News 3 June 2021

## External links

[edit]

* Official site
* Four years and $100m for city tower repair job

Preceded by

Quay Quarter Tower

|  Tallest building in Australia
1977–1986  | Succeeded by

Rialto Towers

|
|

Preceded by

Carlton Centre

|  Tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere
1977–1986  | Succeeded by

Rialto Towers

List of tallest buildings in Australia

| Next Shortest

Governor Phillip Tower
227m
| Next Tallest

World Tower
230m
Heights are to highest architectural element.

* v
* t
* e

Skyscrapers in Sydney over 150 metres in height

Completed

| Over 200 m|

* Crown Sydney (271 m)
* Salesforce Tower (263 m)
* Chifley Tower (244 m)
* Citigroup Centre (243 m)
* Deutsche Bank Place (240 m)
* Greenland Centre (237 m)
* World Tower (230 m)
* 25 Martin Place (228 m)
* Governor Phillip Tower (227 m)
* Latitude Tower (222 m)
* Aurora Place (219 m)
* International Tower 1 (217 m)
* Quay Quarter Tower (216 m)

|

150–199 m|

* ANZ Tower (195 m)
* Suncorp Place (193 m)
* Century Tower (183 m)
* 88 Walker Street (181 m)
* Grosvenor Place (180 m)
* International Tower 2 (178 m)
* Capita Centre (173 m)
* Australia Square (170 m)
* The Peak (168 m)
* International Tower 3 (168 m)
* 1 O'Connell Street (166 m)
* Westpac Place (166 m)
* 201 Elizabeth Street (165 m)
* Gateway Plaza (164 m)
* 1 Denison Street (159 m)

Under construction

* One Sydney Harbour (Tower 1) (247 m)
* One Sydney Harbour (Tower 2) (230 m)
* 6 & 8 Parramatta Square (228 m)
* 180 George Street (North Tower) (213 m)
* 180 George Street (South Tower) (189 m)
* 1 Elizabeth (174 m)
* Parkline Place (155 m)

Approved

* 505 George Street (270 m)

* Buildings listed in order of height and with year of completion
* Building data source: Skyscraper Center

* v
* t
* e

Skyscrapers in Sydney

Central Business District|

* 1 Bligh Street
* 25 Martin Place
* AMP Building
* ANZ Bank Centre
* Aurora Place
* Australia Square
* Avery Building
* AWA Tower
* Capita Centre
* Century Tower
* Chifley Tower
* Citigroup Centre
* The Connaught
* Deutsche Bank Place
* Governor Phillip Tower
* Grosvenor Place
* Latitude
* North Apartments
* The Peak Apartments
* Quay Quarter Tower
* Roden Cutler House
* Suncorp Place
* UTS Tower
* Westpac Place
* World Tower

Other|

* Blues Point Tower
* Coca-Cola Place
* Horizon Apartments
* MLC Building
* Stamford on Kent
* Zenith Centre

* v
* t
* e

Architecture of Sydney

Historical buildings and structures
(pre-1930s)|

* Admiralty House
* Boronia House
* Carthona
* Central Local Court
* Central railway station
* Chief Secretary's
* Cloncorrick
* Customs House
* Conservatorium of Music
* Downing Centre
* Education Department
* General Post Office
* GIO Building
* Government House
* Hong Kong House
* Hyde Park Barracks
* Hyde Park Obelisk
* Lands Department
* Lindesay
* Mortuary railway station
* Parliament House
* Queen Victoria Building
* Registrar-General's
* St Andrew's Cathedral
* St Mary's Cathedral
* Sydney Hospital
* The Mint
* Sydney Observatory
* Town Hall
* Trades Hall
* The Old Treasury
* University of Sydney (Main Quad.)
* Victoria Barracks

Modern buildings and structures
(post-1930s)|

* 1 Bligh Street
* 25 Martin Place
* AMP Building
* Anzac Memorial
* Auburn Gallipoli Mosque
* Aurora Place
* Australia Square
* Bennelong Apartments
* Blues Point Tower
* Central Park
* Chau Chak Wing Museum
* Chifley Tower
* Citigroup Centre
* Dr Chau Chak Wing Building
* Deutsche Bank Place
* Dunc Gray Velodrome
* Governor Phillip Tower
* Grace Building
* Horizon Apartments
* International Towers
* Latitude
* MLC Building
* Paddy's Markets (redev.)
* Quay Quarter Tower
* The Ribbon
* IMAX Sydney
* Sirius Building
* Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
* Stamford on Kent
* Suncorp Place
* Sydney Harbour Bridge
* Sydney Opera House
* Sydney Tower
* TNT Towers
* UTS Tower
* World Tower
* Zenith Centre

Notable architects|

* Australian architects
* NSW Government architects

Styles|

* Non-residential
* Residential
* Tallest buildings

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