For a dizzying moment on Monday, Sydney was facing the unthinkable – a city skyline that will no longer be dominated by a soaring monument to the Packer family.

If there’s one thing that three generations of Packer patriarchs have gifted Sydney – from Frank with his headquarters on Park Street, to Kerry with the Channel Nine transmitter, to the long shadow James has cast with Crown casino – it’s a keen appreciation for vertical lines.