Lorenz Grollo在購買Inflation Nightclub後成為King Street的王者
Rialto Tower的共同擁有者Lorenz Grollo在購買深夜場所Inflation Nightclub後,已經完全控制了聲名狼藉的King Street夜店,這地方毗鄰墨爾本最著名的辦公大樓。
格羅洛集團(Grollo Group)及里亞托(Rialto) 的合資夥伴–科威特政府支持的聖馬丁地產,在場外收購了脫衣舞夜店擁有者Peter Iwaniuk在King Street 54-60號的兩層夜店。
通過這次交易,合資夥伴現時擁有從柯林斯街(Collins Street) 到弗林德斯巷(Flinders Lane)的所有King Street 物業,這是一個1500平方米的口袋,與6800平方米的里亞托區相鄰,其中包括最近柯林斯街開發完成的零售和辦公室,這是251米高摩天大樓重建的一部分。
格羅洛先生告訴澳洲金融評論,他任命了建築師伍茲貝格(Woods Bagot)提出King Street的總體規劃。
他說:「我們正在考慮活化整個餐廳區域,可能是爵士酒吧和頂級酒店。」
格羅洛先生說,Inflation Nightclub的擁有者瑪莎察馬斯(Martha Tsamis)擁有該物業的租約,但「我們正在與他們合作,並讓他們搬出去。」
他拒絕透露Rialto Tower合作夥伴為該物業支付費用。由於其占地面積稍大,且沒有遺產限制,它很可能在2016年以超過1325萬澳元收購鄰近King Street 46號的前Showgirls Bar 20。
不幸的事件
除了這兩個物業外,Rialto Tower的合作夥伴在紐約King Street 62-66號長期持有York Butter Factory大廈。他們於2006年以290萬澳元的價格購買了King Street 42-44號的Rare Steakhouse。
自1979年以來一直在King Street 經營的這間夜店,是多年來無數次毒品襲擊、近期槍擊事件以及不幸事件的所在地。
格羅洛先生形容,清理King Street是一個「關鍵的必要條件」,而作為商業心臟的墨爾本沿柯林斯街向西向下移動至碼頭區,順勢而向辦公室、酒店和住宅發展。
其中包括Mirvac在柯林斯街477號8.28億澳元的Olderfleet辦公室項目和Cbus Properties 10億澳元以上的柯林斯拱門(Collins Arch)綜合開發項目,覆蓋柯林斯街447號的整個街區。
位於Collins Street 555號的里亞托公路對面,新加坡Fragrance Group公司將拆除一棟醜陋的70年代所建造的辦公室大樓,去重建一棟302米高的住宅大廈 。
Rialto Tower的新零售和辦公室區包括了墨爾本首間Mercedes Me café、墨爾本銀行和服裝零售商 MJ Bale以及6000平方米的辦公空間。
意大利高端廚房銷售商Officine Gullo將於6月在Collins Street前的商店 開設其公司在 Rialto Tower的第一間澳洲商店,而雷格斯旗下的靈活工作供應商Spaces將於今年尾開設新的共同工作中心。
Grollo Group and its Rialto joint-venture partner, the Kuwaiti government-backed St Martins Properties, acquired the two-storey nightclub at 54-60 King Street from strip club owner Peter Iwaniuk in an off-market deal.
With this deal, the JV partners now own all the King Street properties running from Collins Street to Flinders Lane, a 1500sq m pocket that neighbours the 6800sq m Rialto precinct and which includes the recently completed Collins Street retail and office development, part of a major regeneration of the 251-metre high skyscraper.
Mr Grollo told The Australian Financial Review he had appointed architects Woods Bagot to come up with a master plan for the “King Street Precinct”.
“We’re looking at activating the whole precinct with restaurants, possibly a jazz bar and a hotel on top,” he said.
Mr Grollo said the owner of Inflation Nightclub, Martha Tsamis, had a lease over the property, but “we are working with them to get them to move out”.
He declined to reveal what the Rialto Tower partners paid for the property. It’s likely to be in excess of the $13.25 million they paid for the neighbouring former Showgirls Bar 20 at 46 King Street acquired in 2016, given its on a slightly bigger footprint and has no heritage restrictions.
Unsavoury incidents
Alongside these two properties, the Rialto Tower partners have long held the York Butter Factory building at 62-66 King Street. They bought the premises of Rare Steakhouse at 42-44 King Street for $2.9 million in 2006.
The nightclub, which has operated from the King Street premises since 1979, was the scene of a recent shooting and numerous drug raids and unsavoury incidents over the years.
Mr Grollo has described cleaning up King Street as a “key imperative” as the commercial heart of Melbourne moves west down Collins Street towards Docklands, riding a wave of landmark office, hotel and residential developments.
These include Mirvac’s $828 million Olderfleet office project at 477 Collins Street and Cbus Properties’ $1 billion-plus Collins Arch mixed-use development covering a whole city block at 447 Collins Street.
Across the road from the Rialto at 555 Collins Street, Singapore’s Fragrance Group will demolish an ugly 1970s-built office building to make way for a 302-metre residential tower.
Rialto Tower’s new retail and office precinct includes the countrys’ first Mercedes Me cafe, the Bank of Melbourne and outfitter MJ Bale as well as 6000sq m of office space.
High-end Italian kitchen seller Officine Gullo will open its first Australian store at Rialto Tower in a Collins Street-fronting store in June while Regus-owned flexible working provider Spaces will open a new co-working hub later in the year.