Coffs Harbour’s Pacific Towers at Park Beach: A building of history

High above the rest sits a building in Park Beach with a fascinating story. See why Pacific Towers remains a special place to this day.

One could barely miss the Pacific Towers: a beacon high above Park Beach, gleaming above ocean and city.

The multistorey apartment building was designed by Tony Littlemore of Littlemore Architects in 1981 and won the Master Builders Association award for its design.

Justin Littlemore, principal of Littlemore Architects and son of Tony, said various schemes were prepared for the site.

“A low-density resort-style development was presented, however the tower concept was met with enthusiasm and the ultimate approval from Council,” he said.

Mr Littlemore suggested it may have represented the aspirational intent of Coffs Harbour City Council at that time.

Ronald Payne and Bob Danton with the Pacific Towers model in 1981. Picture: Coffs Collections

The multimillion-dollar project was a response to provide a new style of accommodation for the growing Coffs Harbour population.

Mr Littlemore said the building was the first of its kind for the area.

“It was a building of unprecedented design complexity and scale for the region such that purpose-built infrastructure was required to facilitate the construction including for the supply of concrete,” Mr Littlemore said.

Tony Littlemore, having attained his Master‘s degree in Architecture from Harvard University was heavily influenced by Walter Gropius with whom he worked in Boston USA.

He implemented the virtues of the Bauhaus Movement into the project, motivating the local community, its tradespeople and building industry suppliers.

The design utilised precast modules that were formed on site and saw the adjacent vacant land transformed into a state of the art construction facility producing high-quality concrete panels from exacting formwork.

Pacific Towers and Park Beach, 1983. Picture: Coffs Collections

Ronald Payne, the project builder, said Coffs Harbour was “crying out” for a high-rise at the time.

“It added another variation of living,” Mr Payne said.

The footprint of the tower took up only 10 per cent of the site, which Mr Payne, now 77, said helped protect nature.

Mr Payne said Coffs Harbour should consider high-rise developments, with sprawling housing suburbs posing more harm to nature.

Mr Littlemore said “multistorey buildings provide a higher proportion of open space and allow more natural vegetation to remain undisturbed“.

Principal of Littlemore Architects, Justin Littlemore, specialises as a development consultant with particular areas of interest in master planning and environmental infrastructure. Picture: supplied

Regarding the growing need for new housing and infrastructure in the area, Mr Littlemore said: “if Coffs Harbour is to respond to the pressures to provide housing for a rapidly growing population through the construction of high-density if not high-rise developments, hopefully council and the community will demand that buildings meet world-class standards of design and construction and that they fit within a new, yet to be produced, cohesive Environmental Master Plan.”

Mayor of Coffs Harbour Paul Amos addressed concern over mega development master plans in the past.

“I’ve made no secret of my concerns over the way the existing draft masterplan has ignored the majority of residents who want to keep the public open spaces that are such a feature of the foreshores,” Mr Amos said.

A “reactivation plan” is being looked at as a matter of priority for Park Beach, and Mr Amos said there are plans to assess the future of the prime location.

“It’s close to shops and beaches. In theory, Park Beach should be our showpiece,” he said.

Mr Amos described Pacific Towers as an “avant-garde” building.

“It was our first high-rise and it certainly makes its mark on the skyline,” he said.

Pacific Towers remains something of an icon more than 40 years on: a symbol of growth and potentially an insight into an architectural future not too distant.