Response to question on updates from developer

Salma has written a note on my blog saying they have never received an update from the developer, and asking how it can be ordered.

The emails come from sales@cbre.com.au, so send your request there.

The most recent update from the developer, Ceerose, was in June 2014. Click on this on this link or copy the following.

http://harbourmill.com.au/email/20140602/ConstructionUpdate_June_2014.pdf?utm_source=CBRE&utm_medium=EDM&utm_campaign=020614_harbourmill_enews

It includes this fantastic concept image of the night lighting on Harbour Mill.

The newsletter also said that 'topping out' should happen by the end of August, which it did, and completion is expected on Queens Birthday long weekend in 2015, which is 9 June 2015. I'm hoping they are being conservative to avoid disappointment and it will be earlier than that.

Great to hear from you, Elena.

I'm reproducing a comment from an earlier entry on the blog for those of you who have not seen it. 

Thanks very much Elena


Hi Elana,
My Husband and I have bought an apartment on level 7, facing the park and intend to live in it as well. Thank you for your blog, it is very useful! I have sent an email to the developer to find out when we should all receive the next newsletter. I am sure you are aware, there is another new development across Wentworth Park - "Mezzo Apartments" - construction supposed to start in a few months. We are going there this weekend to get floor plans and find out the prices - will be a good benchmark for Harbour Mill. I will inform everyone on what we find out.
Kind regards,

Elena

Hi All,

Here is the response from the Developer:
--------------------------------
Elena,

Next construction update is due late September/early October. We are having out 'topping out' ceremony today for the completion of the structure, and we are underway with the fit out and façade already.

Construction on track at present, but depending now largely on weather patterns for the coming 12 months.
--------------------------------------
Very positive!
Kind regards,

Elena



I'm looking forward to your update about what is happening with the development across Wentworth Park,

Redevelopment of Darling Harbour

Another great aspect of Harbour Mill's location is its proximity to Darling Harbour, where $2.5 billion is being spent on redevelopment. The existing Entertainment Centre will close in December 2015 and be replaced by a new Entertainment Theatre which will hold 8,000 people. There will also be a new International Convention Centre (ICC) which will allow Sydney to host major global events.

Here is what Darling Harbour will look like when it's finished. I have marked in a red box the location of Harbour Mill. The new theatre is the building on the top left of Tumbalong Park, next to the pink flowers, and the shining silver building on the right is a new 5-star international hotel. In front of that is the existing Harbourside, and on the left is the new ICC.

The following map shows all this infrastructure is only a short walk from Harbour Mill (HM on the map).

To walk to Darling Harbour, go down Jones Street, left into Fig Street, cross Bulwara into Upper Fig Street and take the pedestrian bridge over Harris Street. I was delighted when I saw this bridge, as it takes you directly into Darling Harbour without worrying about Harris Street traffic. Then continue along the pathway to a lift which goes into Darling Harbour, the red X on the map. This walk takes only a few minutes and is all flat with no steps so good for a wheelchair.

What does the Darling Harbour development site look like at the moment? Work is proceeding rapidly.

It's especially interesting to see the new path (the concrete ribbon next to the light rail line) which I think is part of the new 'high line' which will link Darling Harbour with Central Station, going near the University of Technology. It's all happening around here!

Thanks for this interesting historical context

Thanks to Geoff Walker for this very interesting piece of historical context, which shows how the train line used to operate:

"Hi Elana. I've just finished reading through your blog after your dad told me about it.

I'm well familiar with the Edwin Davey Flour Mill, as the goods trains which serviced it used the Glebe tunnel, the Jubilee Park entrance to which lies nearly under my house. Lying in bed in the quiet of the middle of the night with my ear to the pillow I used to occasionally feel rather than hear those trains' gentle rumblings coming through the sandstone under my house. I'd often see a goods carriage, or maybe 2, waiting forlornly on the siding under the mill. This continued right up to the early '90s when the line was ready to be electrified for the advent of the light rail.

Keep up the informative writing, Elana!
Geoff Walker" 

Harbour Mill reaches its top floor

This series of photographs was taken on 12 August 2014, with the first three showing the top floor of Harbour Mill under construction. Finish this and then there's 6 months of fit out. The fourth photograph is the driveway at the southern end which links the front and back of the property.

You can click on any of these photographs to enlarge them.

Architect & Design Magazine Article on Harbour Mill

The Harbour Mill design will have interlinked atriums to create a sense of 'theatre'. The facade will have large sliding panels to draw in the industrial heritage, displays of historic photographs and storyboards, and public art. Wow!

This report is taken from Architect and Design Magazine, April 2012

http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/industry-news/grimshaw-architects-concept-adapts-historic-flour

New life is expected to be breathed into a famous old Flour Mill at Pyrmont as the City of Sydney nears a decision on a Development Application to build upon the façade remains a new apartment building.

After the Edwin Davey Flour Mill at Pyrmont reached its 100 years of service in 1996 it ceased production and fell into disrepair. Today only a portion of the facade remains, in the once thriving industrial era. 


Developer Ceerose staged a design competition and said they invited some of the city’s top architects. According to the developer, international firm Grimshaw Architects won the competition with a unique solution that pays tribute to the mill’s heritage whilst being underpinned by principles of humane, enduring and sustainable design.


An integral feature of the design is restoring the remnant facade, and integrating it with the new structure. 

The overall design comprises two interconnected buildings – a four-storey structure which sits within the heritage facade, and a 10-storey structure which ‘steps up and over’ it. 

The buildings are configured around a series of interlinked and interlocked atriums and voids that provide light, air and an uplifting sense of ‘theatre’. A central atrium will focus natural light into the heart of the building – an important shift away from the usual artificially-lit corridors and lobbies. 


“We approached this design with a simple goal – to create a building that is conceived first and foremost for its residents and which provides a sense of address and community,” said Simon Fleet of Grimshaw Architects. 


“We have retained the mill’s industrial character and inserted a series of generous and contemporary apartments that will be defined by the quality of their space.” 


Balconies on some of the 136 apartments will sit behind the remaining walls, giving occupants a sense of history as they look out through the heritage windows to the north, east to the city and west across Wentworth Park. Subtle references to the mill’s history are interwoven into the new building would include the 19th Century styling of the new bracing struts to reinforce the existing façade.


The facade of the new structure will be built from large sliding panels which reference the vernacular warehouse and industrial heritage of the area, and which offer excellent environmental performance.


They will pay further tribute to the mill’s history by displaying photos and storyboards, and by integrating public art into our heritage interpretation strategy.

Ceerose is also proposing substantial public domain improvements that connect Jones Street to the Wentworth Park Light Rail Station adjacent to the site. 

This will reinstate access between Ultimo and Pyrmont that was severed with the construction of the Western Distributor. 


Preserving as much of the mill’s history as possible is a priority for the developer Ceerose, which recently acquired the 3,100sqm site. Company founder Edward Doueihi has a connection to the flour mill dating back to when he was a child. His father ran a bakery in Cowper Street, Granville, and he’d often take Edward to the mill to collect supplies.


“I’ve been emotionally attached to the mill since my childhood,” said Doueihi. “Unfortunately most of it has been torn down, but now that I own the site I plan to build something that reflects the mill’s proud history and my fond memories.”

Amazing photograph and struggle to retain the heritage

Amazing photograph sourced from http://llewsid.tumblr.com/.

He captures the moody sky, the graffiti art, and the old mill standing defiantly on the edge of the property. While the owners of the site wondered what to do with it, the old mill was visited by squatters, campers and graffiti artists.

Before the property was bought by Edward Doueihi, the principal and founder of Ceerose, it was owned by Mike Boulos, who wanted to knock down the old walls, as shown in the article below written in April 2009.
(see http://www.altmedia.net.au/pyrmonts-heritage-on-rocky-foundations/5341).

Of course, the new Harbour Mill will leave much of this history behind, but the photographs will forever record stages of its earlier life before its rebirth as a grand apartment building. I'm glad Mr Doueihi found a way to develop the property while retaining much of its heritage.

Article from April 2009:

The former Edwin Davey flour mill was once a hub of industrial activity, right at home in Pyrmont’s working class roots, but the owner of the site, Mike Boulos, denies there is any history left in its disfigured remains.
A redevelopment plan for the 113-year-old flour mill will soon be submitted to Sydney City Council by Mr Boulos.
The three walled flour mill, heritage listed with Sydney Council since December 2005, was gutted by fire 20 years ago and its original machinery given to the Powerhouse Museum by Mr Boulos.
“It is not a building, it’s a few walls. I can understand if it was a building, you would have to maintain it, but it is not.
“Existing walls don’t tell you anything at all. I’m not sure what the three walls demonstrate or show,” Mr Boulos said.
According to reports, Mr Boulos’ redevelopment attempt in 1995 was rejected after planning officials, heritage consultants and the trust opposed his $25 million, multi-storey commercial and residential building proposal.
“We have done enough by donating all the equipment and taking video when it was an operational mill,” he said.
Councillor Phillip Black who helped establish the South Sydney Heritage Society, says the former mill appears to be suffering from demolition by neglect – destruction of a building caused by a failure to maintain it – but Council has no power to take action unless there is danger to the public.
“Protection from demolition by neglect is a role given by the State Government through NSW Heritage Office but unfortunately they have never used this power under the Heritage Act,” said Cr Black.
“[I’m] glad to see the owner is at last planning to do something with the site. After such a long time we will see if this plan ever eventuates.”
The flour mill could face a similar fate to other demolished heritage listed buildings such as the Harris St woolstore, the Pyrmont St power station and the Pyrmont Incinerator.
“[My vision is] a landmark commercial building that will house some of Australia’s finest technology and media services, consistent with other buildings around Pyrmont,” Mr Boulos said.
“It will be different, it will look spectacular. Something that people can be proud of.
“It’s time they developed the area and take into account the access to light rail underneath and incorporate the fish market which I think is one of Sydney’s greatest tourist destinations.
“There’s so much that can be done but the facade restricts the best possible building for the site,” he said.
Councillor McInerney, who was Sydney City Council town planner when Boulos’s  last development proposal was rejected, says heritage requirements can be altered if the proposal demonstrates a good case for it and the development is preferable for the area.
“Current heritage listings do not allow for a demolition but says if possible the building should be incorporated and will assess the merits of the proposal once it is handed into council,” said Cr McInerney.
He says some examples where a façade is retained look ‘ridiculous’ and cites the Martin Place Post office and Macquarie Bank building as good examples.

More historical photos

One of the things I love about Harbour Mill is its historical significance, and it's great they are keeping the facade of the flour mill. It will always be distinctive.

Here's what the facade looked like after it stopped being an operating mill. See the little house at the top right. It housed the elevator that lifted the bags of wheat from the railway carriages below. The weigh station is still there underneath the cliff, and hopefully it will also be preserved.

And in this rare aerial photograph, you can see what the mill looked like when it was fully operational. The little house is in the same place, and the white chute is where the flour came out. And the reason why the railway siding and cliff is also white is probably because it was covered in flour dust.

And here's an even older photograph, before the little house was added, with the flour being taken away by steam truck. Part of Sydney's industrial history.

I think it's great that the little house has been retained as part of the restoration of the facade.

And to give you a bit of a shock, here's what the inside of Harbour Mill looked like inside well before the construction started, with that little house above the support structure which was holding the building up. If this support had not gone in, it's doubtful the facade would be here today.

The completed Harbour Mill as seen from Wentworth Park

In 2015, take a picnic in Wentworth Park and look to the east. This is what the horizon will look like.

Major historical significance of the Edwin Davey Flour Mill

This is what the developer says:

Built in 1896, the Edwin Davey & Sons Flour Mill was one of Sydney's longest serving flour mills. A familiar and much-loved site with enormous historical significance, it underwent a no-expense-spared rebuild in 1911 after fire destroyed much of the building. The mill continued flour production until its closure in 1996, after nearly 100 years of operation. Today, its remaining walls stand as one of the last vestiges of an industry once prevalent in the area. The prominent warehouse façade of the building has become a popular, much-photographed cultural site thanks to its dramatic presence.

Photos taken inside the mill and the old train line next to the mill.

From the Australian Government Department of the Environment is a major entry on the flour mill which shows its historical significance.

Built in 1896, the Edwin Davey and Sons Flour Mill forms part of a collection of buildings which record the development of Pyrmont and Ultimo as an industrial and warehouse district on the southern fringe of the Central Business District during the latter half of the nineteenth century. This pattern of development forms a crucial part of the historic pattern of development of Sydney as the capital city and commercial centre of NSW, based on the industrial and transport opportunities created by the waterfrontages of this and other peninsulas in Sydney Harbour. The Edwin Davey and Sons Flour Mill was the last flour mill operating in the inner city area of Sydney and was amongst the longest operating mills in this area. It is one of the few remaining industrial buildings in this part of Ultimo (Criterion A.4) (Historic Themes: 3.10 Altering the environment for economic development; 3.12 Developing an Australian manufacturing capacity; 4.1 Planning urban settlement; 5.2 Organising workers and work places). It is a good representative of a turn of the century roller mill building constructed in Sydney. Although stripped of equipment now, it retains the basic features of its former operational layout and technology, representing this phase of the industry and demonstrating the general utility and durability of that technology. The building is an example of a utilitarian Federation Free Classical architectural style (Criterion D.2). It is prominently located and is a minor landmark in its area (Criterion E.1).

The main building of the Edwin Davey and Sons Flour Mill is a four storey brick flour mill with corrugated iron roof behind a plain parapet and rectangular window openings. The northern frontage has a large triangular pediment bearing the business name. There is a three storey brick addition on the south side with different window arrangements and on the western side, an extension built out to the cliff line which matches the detailing of the earlier eastern side. The interior comprises timber post and beam framing and timber floors. It has a rail siding from the Darling Harbour/Lilyfield Goods Line below the escarpment on the northern side, with some remaining wheat elevation gear and there are corrugated iron clad extensions at the rear of the mill building. 

The Ultimo end of the Pyrmont peninsula remained as an undeveloped grazing property until the 1860s, in the ownership of Surgeon John Harris and his heirs. The complications of the inheritance prevented subdivision of the estate until after 1859 but, when commenced, the construction of houses and factories proceeded rapidly, with many land owners, including the Harris family members, building working class terrace houses for lease. The existing development in Pyrmont and around the edges of the Harris estate consisted of predominantly quarrying, manufacturing and processing works and the provision of workers' housing found a ready market. By the end of the century, newer, larger industrial concerns were purchasing large blocks of Ultimo property and demolishing the residences to erect large factories and warehouses, with the wool industry being at the forefront of this phase, especially along Wattle Street. This created a distinct block pattern of development in the area, with blocks of housing alternating with blocks containing industrial buildings, facilities and other workplaces. By the early twentieth century, the waterfront, power station and railway industries were also influential in the economy of the area, while no new housing was built in Ultimo from 1902 till the 1970s. 
 
Technological and social changes after the end of World War Two though, led to the progressive abandonment of the inner city fringes as industrial areas and the Ultimo/Pyrmont area suffered rapid declines in both workplaces and population. Since the 1970s, the area has been gradually redeveloped for housing and commercial activities. When the auctioning of Block 42 of the Harris Estate was advertised for Monday, February 25, 1895, ten lots of Block 42 were purchased by Stephen Freeman, both in his own name and later as S Freeman and Sons Limited, from The Perpetual Trustee Company (Limited), Administrator of the estate of John Harris of Shane's Park. S Freeman and Sons were a firm producing a range of household products, including Bathos baking powder, egg powder, self raising flour, flaked oatmeal, Maori coffee, spices, lemon and orange peels, extract of soap, borax and sand soaps, castor and salad oils, soda crystals, square and bag blue, pickles, jelly tablets, sauces, vinegar and cordials. Freeman and Sons built a flour mill on the site, described as an eight bag plant, which was operating from 1896. This mill was then purchased by Edwin Davey and Sons in 1900. When Davey purchased the Ultimo Roller Mills in Sydney, he already owned mills at Angaston, Eudunda and Salisbury in South Australia, with a head office and stores in Currie Street, Adelaide. The main purpose for Edwin Davey establishing or acquiring a Sydney mill was the need for a more efficient means of producing flour for export, particularly for trade with the Far East and the Pacific. He was already selling flour to Auckland, Samoa and Calcutta through a Sydney based agent. Port facilities, freight costs and shipping in Sydney were preferable to those in Adelaide. 
 
The Ultimo Mill was refitted and went into production in 1901 using the brand name Chanticleer Flour. The mill quickly built a reputation for the quality of the flour produced there. An early award the firm received was a gold medal from the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908. In the same year, local recognition occurred when Chanticleer flour took first prize for bread, together with a special prize, at the Sydney Royal Agricultural Society Show and prizes at the Taree and Kempsey Shows for home made bread, scones and cakes. The mill operated and expanded, with a fire in the 1920s as the only major interruption, until 1992, by which time the company had become part of Weston Milling Ltd and the Ultimo mill was small and old fashioned compared to modern facilities. The mill was closed, the machinery removed and the site sold for development. 

Other perspectives on the building

Harbour Mill's building frame is now only one floor from the top, the 11th floor (including the lower ground and ground floor). Above this, the roof will be flat, with the private garden areas for the top apartments.

The first photograph shows how much the top floors are above the old flour mill facade, and the second photo shows how the building drops down from 11 floors for most of its footprint to 4 floors at the south end. The top photo was taken at about 4pm, when the north-facing part was bathed in sunshine.

And here's a view from the end of Jones Lane, which will be the back way into the building. 

And for those of you who want to know what some of the inside is looking like, you can see here that some of the apartments are 'sheeted' already, that is, the internal gyprock walls are up. This gives a bit of a guide to the size of the corner bedrooms - not bad (this photo is extra enlarged).