A new 49-storey tower designed by BVN is set to grace the Sydney skyline as ICD Property’s redevelopment of the iconic City Tattersalls Club takes shape.
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Founded by 25 bookmakers in 1895, the City Tattersalls Club has been the backdrop for a story or two.
In 1930, British aviatrix Amy Johnson appeared in the open balcony of the first floor, crowds below blocking the street, to celebrate her solo flight from London to Darwin in 19 days.
Four decades later, in 1970, a heat of the World Professional Snooker Championships, won by Eddie Charlton, was televised nationally from the lower lounge.
The redevelopment is a joint-venture led by Singapore-based First Sponsor Group Limited and ICD Property in collaboration with the City Tattersalls Club.
Simone Gervasi, ICD Property’s development manager, says the redevelopment of 194-204 Pitt Street will safeguard the future of the Club by providing a “plethora” of new retail and dining options, as well as new hotel and residential accommodation.
BVN’s design for the 49-storey tower – chosen after an international design competition – sits atop the ground-floor club facilities and harmonises Sydney’s old and new architecture.
“We have been working on this project for quite some time, and over the years have grown attached to the idea of future-proofing the Club for generations to come, while simultaneously creating something beautiful to sit within the Sydney skyline,” says Gervasi.
The redevelopment will revitalise the Club’s offerings for its 19,000 members with the addition of a 100-room hotel and retail offerings.
The new floorplan maximises the views and amenities of the apartments and hotel rooms, while drawing natural light into the tower’s common spaces.
The City Tattersalls Club is ICD Property’s first Sydney project and Gervasi says ICD spent around six months benchmarking the best architects in the world before landing on BVN.
BVN principal Matthew Blair describes the tower as “elegant and sophisticated”. The project promises to enhance the club’s identity and link “street to sky” and “harbour to place”, Blair says.
Conducting complex design workshops through videoconferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges, but Gervasi says she is proud of the agile approach of her team that “resulted in a stunning outcome”.
“Our whole team has been so open minded and agile over the last six months. It’s been really great to see everyone collaborating and finding a way through the challenges together.”
Pending final approvals, ICD expects to kick off construction on the Pitt Street skyscraper in early 2022, with preparation of a Stage 2 development application underway for later this year.