After nearly 60 years, it looks like the old David Jones building in Crown Street Mall could be torn down to make way for a game-changing $280 million hotel development.
For some, this is well-overdue - and what was hoped for at the vacant site by many in the city - but for others the old 1960s building holds some nostalgia.
Looking at the designs released by developers this week, there are no plans to keep the facade of the building - as was done at the eastern intersection of Crown Street Mall with the redevelopment of the 1930s Langs Corner site.
David Jones opened at the corner of Crown and Church streets October 1966, when an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald proudly proclaimed 'Now Wollongong has its very own new David Jones' store'.
The department store had opened in the city in 1960 but was completely rebuilt in the mid-60's, turning it into a ''$3.5 million showpiece'' according to the advertising blurb.
''Come and ride on the shiny new escalators that waft you between all four floors,'' it beckoned.
''Revel in the comfort of the air conditioning. Let the elegant decor refresh your eye.
''Park your car with ease in our carefully planned car park ... then shop (to piped music) for all the wonderful merchandise you expect to find at a David Jones' store.
''Fabulous fashions and homewares ''from home and abroad'' were touted; and there was also a special mention for the ''great new food hall packed with exotic delicacies and gourmet treats''.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
