Bright and Hitchcock building in Geelong CBD fenced off

One of Geelong’s most prominent corners has been fenced off as the local development company behind the project remains tight-lipped on what we can expect.

Bright and Hitchcock in the late 1940s.

Work appears to be ramping up on the redevelopment of the historic Bright and Hitchcock building more than four years after the 170-year-old former department store was acquired by the Hamilton Group.

The heritage listed site, which is set to become a revamped hospitality, retail and office space has laid vacant since the new owners evicted the former tenants in 2023.

The boarded up shopfronts, most with graffiti, have been a sore point for some amid a broader debate on how to rejuvenate a CBD that Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj compared to a “third-rate country” during last year’s council election campaign.

Temporary wire fencing has this week been installed around the building’s exterior, with a council permit allowing it to be in place until June 1.

Hamilton Group managing director Cam Hamilton was tight-lipped when asked for an update on the project.

“There’s a lot of interest and more will be announced soon,” he said.

The project is expected to include the construction of a new building, and demolition and reconstruction of the existing building.

Workers fence off the Bright and Hitchcock building on the corner of Moorabool and Little Malop streets. Picture: Alison Wynd.

The bandstand that rises above Little Malop St is heritage protected and must be retained.

The development will be spread across three levels, plus a basement, and the Hamilton Group’s website promotes leasing opportunities that range from 65 sqm to 5460 sqm.

“Today, we’re developing a bold new vision for this historic site – one that honours its legacy while contributing to the ongoing revitalisation of central Geelong,” the website states.

“This exciting transformation is part of our broader commitment to the city, which also includes the redevelopment of The Regent Theatre.”

The Hamilton Group received widespread praise for the external restoration of The Regent, which sits a stone’s throw away on the corner of Little Malop and Union streets.

The theatre, built in 1923, closed in 1965 and later operated as McEwans hardware store until the 1980s, before it became home to The Reject Shop and Dimmeys.

The revamped facade to The Regent Theatre.

Mr Hamilton said in 2023 that he hoped the developments would help to change the perception of the troubled Little Malop St mall and inject some vibrancy into the area.

“I think it’s a great asset and has been under-utilised over the last 20 to 30 years,” he said.

“I really hope we can get a different caliber of tenant throughout … to really create this as the centre of town rather than the centre of the worst part of town.”

Originally published as Bright and Hitchcock building in Geelong CBD fenced off