It could make a beautiful penthouse or a restaurant with 360 degree views..
Hit list: The heritage-listed MSB Tower is set to be demolished. Photo: Quentin Jones
Almost every structure Jane Bennett has painted has been demolished, such is Sydney's wont for a blank canvas on which to build a more fashionable harbour.
With brushes and oils she captured the last ships to leave the Hungry Mile, and the Pyrmont Power Station site before the Star casino took over. And now, three decades after she began painting the 87-metre tall harbour control tower at Millers Point, that too is set to be erased.
The Barangaroo Delivery Authority has recommended that the 40-year-old structure be knocked down to make way for redevelopment at the old wharf site.
The tower is considered the most prominent reminder of Sydney Harbour's commercial shipping past.
A spokeswoman said the board voted for its demolition "in keeping with the vision for a spectacular park". The tower occupies 640 square metres, which the authority plans to incorporate into a simulated natural headland and cultural space.
Bennett, Sydney Ports' artist-in-residence and painter of "doomed things", laments the impending loss. "We've got a dreadful record with our history, particularly our industrial history. There won't be anything left," she said.
"[The tower] has this strangely classical look, like a classical column. I know it's concrete and functional, but it certainly has a lot more architectural qualities than a Meriton block."
The tower opened in 1974 to give maritime controllers the best possible views of the harbour and wharves and ensure safe passage for thousands of ships each year.
It was manned 24 hours a day, but has not been used since 2011 when vessel control services for Sydney Harbour moved to Port Botany.
The authority bought the concrete, steel and glass structure from Sydney Ports for $2.6 million.
Many view it as a blight on the skyline - it has been variously dubbed the "concrete mushroom" and a "hypodermic in God's bum".
It was also known as ''the Pill" because it controlled berths in the harbour. The National Trust says it symbolises more than 200 years of shipping trade in Sydney and should be conserved and reused.
The government must approve the removal. Bennett wonders why the structure, with its "magnificent 360-degree views", could not be turned into a restaurant or museum. She watched several New Year's Eve celebrations from the tower. "The fireworks were underneath you and you'd just get this river of fire," she said.
"Afterwards you'd get this smoke haze, and the sky wouldn't be black - it would be green, or burgundy, or it would have a wonderful yellow afterglow."
The authority is preparing a planning application for the tower's removal. A spokeswoman said it considered several options for retaining the tower, including tourism or artistic uses, however the cost was "three to six times greater than demolition".
Precision Demolition managing director Sean Miller said the removal must consider nearby terrace homes at Millers Point and existing structures at the Barangaroo site. The tower's cabin could be removed and the column pulled down in sections, or there may be room to just ''tip it over'', he said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/another-city-landmark-gets-the-brushoff-20140330-35rxa.html#ixzz2xXoZReIZ
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