Burwood Road and Wilga Street
Municipality of Burwood, New South Wales
The tenth retail-related project undertaken by Australia's Westfield Development Corporation was built on a 6.4-acre plot, located 5.4 miles west of Sydney's Central Business District. The mall site was within the Municipality of Burwood local government area, in the town centre of the Burwood suburb.
Construction commenced on BURWOOD WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN in September 1965. New South Wales Premier Bob Askin officiated at the official dedication, which was held on October 11, 1966. The centre, designed by Brian Woolstone and B. E. Sabolch, was Westfield's first large-scale merchandising complex and the first to be branded as a "Shoppingtown."
The mall was built on a sloping lot, which facilitated its unique "incline mall" design. 2 levels, Ground and Gallery, were situated on a gently-ascending grade and connected via a system of ramps, stairs and escalators. Major stores on the east end of the shopping precinct had 1 storey, with those on the west having 2. Stairways and elevators also provided access to a 2-level covered car park and rooftop deck.
The 8 million dollar BURWOOD WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN encompassed 327,000 lettable square feet and contained fifty-six shops and services. There were two anchor stores; a 2-level (107,000 square foot), Sydney-based Farmer's and a 2-level (25,000 square foot) Winns.
Mini-major stores were Mark Foy's, a Coles variety store and Coles New World supermarket. A branch of Best & Less apparel held its grand opening in the spring of 1967. A listing of original shops and services would include Angus & Coote Jewelers, White's Shoes, Glovers Chemist (a pharmacy), Frisco Furniture, The Gallery Bistro licensed restaurant, Singer Sewing Centre, Paige Fashions, Approved Health Foods, The Barrow Fruitrer and City Fashions.
The interior decor of BURWOOD SHOPPINGTOWN was a departure from designs used for the standard 1960s shopping centre. Modern-style steel and glass storefronts typical of the era were eschewed. Storefronts reflected a variety of classic styles, such as London Regency Period, English Tudor, Nautical, 16th Century Spanish and Palladian.
Competing commercial centres in the vicinity included ROSELANDS CENTRE (1965) {4.7 miles south} and BANKSTOWN SQUARE (1966) {4.8 miles southwest}.
Renovations were done to the BURWOOD facility in 1972. In 1976, a second remodeling was completed. In November of the same year, the Farmer's anchor store was rebannered as a Myer. On April 18, 1983, the Myer BURWOOD store received a Grace Brothers nameplate.
By the late 1990s, the shopping centre was seen as obsolete. Westfield decided to shutter, demolish and replace it. This would be the first time that a Westfield property would be completely razed and rebuilt from the ground up. The 285 million dollar reconstruction project got underway in January 1999.
On August 17, 2000, the new WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN BURWOOD made its debut. The complex encompassed approximately 684,700 lettable square feet and housed over 230 shops and services.
There were 3 levels of retail; Ground, 1 and 2. Above these was a 3-level car park. The mall proper featured the 13-bay Food On the Park Food Court (which included an outdoor dining terrace),"The Street," an entertainment and lifestyle precinct, and Greater Union Cinemas Burwood 12.
The primary anchor of the new WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN BURWOOD was a 3-level (160,300 square foot) Grace Brothers. This store was rebannered, as a Myer, in February 2004. It was shuttered March 24, 2007 and re-opened, as a Sydney-based David Jones, on May 5, 2007. Mini-majors in the shopping hub were a 1-level (63,800 square foot) Target, 1-level (65,800 square foot) Kmart, 1-level (42,100 square foot) Coles supermarket and 1-level (39,000 square foot) Woolworths supermarket.
In July 2004, the Westfield conglomerate was restructured. It re-emerged as the Westfield Group. The company was divided into two entities in June 2014. The Scentre Group would own and manage shopping precincts in Australia and New Zealand, while The Westfield Corporation would oversee operations in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe.
In May 2019, the Scentre Group sold a 50-percent interest in the WESTFIELD BURWOOD center to the Perth-based Perron Group.
Sources:
The Sydney Morning Herald
www.westfield.com / The Westfield Group
Westfield Trust Annual Report 2000
http://westfield.com.au/burwood
http://fabsydneyflashbacks.blogspot.com
http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com
http://www.scentregroup.com / The Scentre Group
"Scentre Group Property Compendium" / December 2015
"Westfield Burwood" article on Wikipedia
Sources:
The Sydney Morning Herald
www.westfield.com / The Westfield Group
Westfield Trust Annual Report 2000
http://westfield.com.au/burwood
http://fabsydneyflashbacks.blogspot.com
http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com
http://www.scentregroup.com / The Scentre Group
"Scentre Group Property Compendium" / December 2015
"Westfield Burwood" article on Wikipedia
