Blues Point Tower
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox building
|name = Blues Point Tower
|image = Blues Point Tower.jpg
|image_size = 250px
|caption = Blues Point Tower
|location = Sydney
|address = 14–28 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point
|latd =
|longd =
|iso_region =
|coordinates = {{coord|33|50|57|S|151|12|12|E|type:landmark_scale:100_region:AU|display=inline,title}}
|status = Completed
|start_date =
|completion_date = 1962
|opening =
|building_type = Residential
|architectural_style= Modernist
|antenna_spire =
|roof = {{convert|83|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|top_floor =
|floor_count = 25
|elevator_count =
|cost =
|floor_area =
|architect = Harry Seidler and Associates
|structural_engineer=
|main_contractor =
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|owner =
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}}
Blues Point Tower is an apartment block in Sydney, Australia. Located in McMahons Point, close to North Sydney, the tower is {{convert|83|m}} tall with 144 apartments over 24 levels.{{cite web |title=Towering ambition |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |author=Lacey, Stephen |date=28 September 2002 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/27/1032734319538.html |accessdate=14 April 2011}} The building is regarded by some critics as one of the ugliest buildings in Sydney.{{cite web |title=Eyeful tower |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |author=Dale, David |date=17 May 1991 |url=http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?kw=Eyeful+tower&pb=smh&sf=headline&docID=news910517_0105_4326 |accessdate=14 April 2011}}{{cite web |title=Harry's Dream |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |author=Susskind, Anne |date=30 July 1995 |url=http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?kw=blues+point+tower&pb=smh&sf=text&sf=headline&docID=news950730_0141_4460 |accessdate=14 April 2011 }}
History
Construction was completed in 1962, and it was Australia's tallest residential building until 1970.
The architect was Harry Seidler and Associates, who had planned a high-density redevelopment for the entire suburb.{{cite web |title=From Track to Tarmac |author=Masson, Léonie |publisher=North Sydney Council |date=April 2005 |url=http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/38_Track_tarmac_walk1.pdf |accessdate=30 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706121846/http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/38_Track_tarmac_walk1.pdf |archivedate=6 July 2011 }}{{cite book |author=Seidler, Harry |title=Seidler's scrapbooks |volume=2 |issue=1957–1962 |publisher=State Library of NSW |url=http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/society_art/seidler/scrapbooks/seid3_turner/scrapbook2.html |accessdate=30 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110331032429/http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover%5Fcollections/society_art/seidler/scrapbooks/seid3_turner/scrapbook2.html |archive-date=31 March 2011 |url-status=dead }} Reacting to a 1957 suggestion that the area be zoned for industrial use, Seidler proposed that McMahons Point could instead house hundreds of apartments, all with harbour views. Although the industrial zoning was rejected, political support for Seidler's plan quickly faded, and Blues Point Tower was the only element of the plan to be built.
Seidler was commissioned by Dick Dusseldorp, through his company Civil & Civic. The company's site office during construction was located in an 1870s Victorian villa named Bellvue, which formerly occupied the site.
In February 2011, a {{convert|6|m}} tall maritime radar was added to the building's roof.{{cite news |title=Heritage woe on the radar |work=The Mosman Daily |author=Eriksson, Boel |date=23 August 2010 |url =http://mosman-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/heritage-woe-on-the-radar/ |accessdate=30 March 2011 }}{{cite web |title=New maritime radar |author=Whitten, Phil |date=25 February 2011 |url=http://peewitppl.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-maritime-radar.html |accessdate=30 March 2011 }}
Architecture and heritage value
The heritage listing for the Tower describes it as a "Conspicuous, though unpopular, example of Internationalist style. This landmark building was innovative in its day and intended as a forerunner of a whole movement in architecture and high-density housing".{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2180599 |title = State Heritage Inventory {{!}} Heritage NSW}}
Criticism
Blues Point Tower is considered by many Sydney residents to be inconsistent with its surrounding buildings and cityscape.{{cite web |title = Walkabout: #1 Blues Point Road |author=Benedictus, Luke |work=Time Out Sydney |url=http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/aroundtown/walkabout--no1-blues-point-road.aspx |accessdate=18 July 2009 }} Over time, many public figures have criticised it, or even called for its demolition. However, in 1993, North Sydney Council added the building to its local heritage register.{{cite web |title=Blues Point Tower |work=NSW State Heritage Register |url=http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_04_2.cfm?itemid=2180599 |accessdate=14 April 2011 }}
{{Quote|"Come on, this is old news, stupid bloody nonsense, I'm sick to death of it. ... I've always thought Blues Point Tower is one of my best buildings and I stand by that. Anybody who can't see anything in it ought to go back to school."|Seidler, responding to questions from journalist Stephen Lacey}}
References
{{Commons category|Blues Point Tower}}
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{{Skyscrapers in Sydney}}
Category:Skyscrapers in Sydney
Category:Harry Seidler buildings
Category:Residential skyscrapers in Australia