City heart secret: T&G building up for lease in Mackay CBD for first time in almost two decades
It’s the first time this ‘best kept secret’ has come up for lease in almost two decades and the owner hopes a bit of imagination could be transformative for our city heart.
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A wedding boutique. Yoga studio. Designer digs. Accountant offices.
The potential for the two levels of the iconic T&G building on the corner of Victoria and Wood Sts in the Mackay CBD is endless.
It is the first time both spaces, upstairs and downstairs, have come up for lease in almost two decades and the owner hopes a bit of imagination could transform the heritage building into something that will draw people into the city heart.
“It’s a blank canvas, bring your ideas and we’ll do a deal,” owner Alan Antoska said.
“It’s arguably the best retail corner in Mackay. You’ve got a central position, it’s a corner, it’s got pedestrian traffic, crossovers in two directions.”
Mr Antoska said he took a gamble when he bought the property two decades ago with two mates.
Edwin Roy Orchard, one of Australia’s most notable Art Deco architects, designed the original building which once housed a Woolworths store downstairs and a dentist upstairs.
The T&G Mutual Life Insurance Building, originally known as Woods Building, was constructed by Queensland Building and Engineering Company in 1937 following demolition of the earlier 1880s timber building that had fallen into disrepair.
Cassandra Dickerson, from Sell Buy Lease Real Estate, said the building had a vivid history and she was excited to imagine its future.
“There’s a wonderful energy in this building; I can feel the history in the walls,” she said.
“It’s Mackay’s best kept secret right in the city heart.
“There’s beautiful wooden floorboards and the owner is looking at exposing some of the original brick work inside.
“There’s floor to ceiling bay windows that could lend itself to a restaurant or retail or office space.
“Anyone with a bit of imagination who wants good exposure or wants to capture that night life could do something special here.”
Donna from i.d. Dezine occupied the modernised downstairs area for 17 years but has since moved around the corner to new Sydney St premises.
Ms Dickerson said the end of the lease on June 30 was a fresh start for the building and the opportunities were endless.
“I’ve had this property on my books for a while but the owner wasn’t ready to do something with the space,” she said.
“We’ve now had floor plans made up and we’ve made it into all these sub-tenancies.
“But we’ve still left it as a bit of a blank canvas so someone can come in and create it however they want.
“They can do art deco, put new flooring down, whatever they really want to do.
“I’ve seen so many old places transformed into something amazing, it just needs a little bit of imagination.
“All along Victoria St there are so many old buildings that are now nightclubs or restaurants that were nothing to begin with.
“Look at the Dispensary and how that looks now, and Coco Cubano.
“This space could be anything – it’s not limited to any one type of business.
“One could come in and then it’s a catalyst for others.
“So if it’s a wedding boutique then you get others in the industry come in as well like a collective.
“If it’s a restaurant or office space, then you have all these extra spaces for functions or meetings.
“This (main space upstairs) could even be a great yoga studio.”
Ms Dickerson said depending on the vision from potential new tenants, the building’s next life could help revitalise the CBD.
“I think it is just such a waste of space right now,” she said.
“It’s been Mackay’s best kept secret as we haven’t really pushed it or promoted it because we need some work to get it to the point we can lease it.
“But now the space downstairs has become available, it’s the perfect opportunity for somebody who needs this shopfront but also the extra space upstairs.
“I don’t think you can get a better spot than this in the city heart.
“If this place was filled with exciting businesses, you’re going to get more people into the CBD.”
Mr Antoska said another idea was for Fonzie Flat type fit-outs with little offices directed at single operators who had perhaps been working from home.
Or he said it could be a dance studio, art display or retail store.
“It’s about talking to interested parties. I’m happy to fit and build something for them,” he said.
“We’ve had plans drawn up to give people an idea but it takes imagination. For example, downstairs could have a mezzanine level in there that could be a bit different.”
Mayor Greg Williamson joked he did not have fond memories going up the stairs of the T&G building to his childhood dentist.
“But what a fabulous space upstairs right in a prominent corner of the city,” he said.
“It’s quite an iconic building in Mackay and it’s been there a long time.
“Anything we can do to activate the CBD, particularly those iconic buildings, will be just fantastic for the CBD for trade.
“That’s a great corner there. When you look at River Street and its potential connection to the Waterfront PDA, the natural flow-through of traffic down that street should be very good.”
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