Sensational-Adelaide.com

Had a quick look and, as much as I love art deco, it's quite plain and as I suspected the embellishments at the top of the facade have been removed - probably when the hideous fascia was added. She could be spruced up and made to look like a fairly interesting old girl but overall I'd say the benefits the Holiday Inn will bring to the area will outweigh the loss. Had the building been preserved a little better back in the day then it might be a different story.







PS. If anyone from work asks - I was in the toilet. I definitely wasn't running half the length of Hindley Street at 10:45am...

Thanks Llessur.

I have to say that what's left of that building is a bit disappointing and not quite what I envisioned. Agree that this building is probably too far gone to be worth restoring, but the dark colour might not do the building justice. Might have been different if they just built the lourves to cover the embellishment though, then it might have been more like the building across the street that recently had the fire.

I assume that dark stuff on the walls is paint rather than cladding of some variety? If so, I wonder why would have bothered to paint the facade if they were just going to cover it up in louvres? Unless they painted it before then? But that really doesn't go well with the surroundings. Ah well, fairly irrelevant monologue.

Disappointing that this happened to a quite a few buildings along this street and shows a lack of foresight. I think it's almost worse to mutilate a heritage building beyond repair like this one has been than to demolish it completely, certainly the case with the offensive blight this has been on the street for the past ~40 years.

Nevermind, that was an interesting enough little bit of history brought back, but onwards and upwards for this hotel now, I say.

No worries at all - I was keen to take a look too so grabbing a couple of pics whilst I was there was no biggie. Agree it was a bit disappointing - but you are right that the black paint (perhaps painted when the louvres went on to provide a contrast to the coloured slats?) does camouflage the few details which remain. Even up close it wasn't easy to figure out whether it was something that would clean up well, or whether it's gone beyond repair. I think that the long-gone parapet embellishments would have made it a different kettle of fish - they would have been the major detail in the building, what's left is quite plain. Sad that it's not really worth saving, but excited for what will become of the site.

Does make me wonder what lies beneath some of the other cladded exteriors of the City's buildings. They temporarily removed some of the cladding from the front of CityX on Rundle Mall a few months back and the buildings behind are very pretty. Shame to hide them but at least they're preserved - as far as I could see anyway.

A few more shots from today.

And a fourth...

I imagine the site has been completely cleared by now?

Ben wrote:I imagine the site has been completely cleared by now?

Still quite a bit to go.

I'm guessing asbestos removal

Has anyone been near this site? 12 months until completion and they haven't even poured foundations yet.... will be tight.

Ben wrote:Has anyone been near this site? 12 months until completion and they haven't even poured foundations yet.... will be tight.

Cycled past it yesterday morning - the building's still very much there.

The rear part of the building is completely gone, just the front part remains. The workers are probably still on summer break until next week.

I went past on Tuesday and several people and one excavator were demolishing from the rear.

It's all demolished now. Hopefully, it will all be finished by the end of the year

Some pictures from today Monday 23 Jan Demo is mostly finished only some old low walls on eastern side. 1 rear view from lane 2 front view from Hindley St.

^Those student apartments are an eyesore. Hideous.

Work is still progressing on excavating old footings from the existing basement fronting Hindley St. Work on the new building has not commenced yet.
Picture 29 Feb 2016. One excavator working on site today.