Pran Central
| Pran Central | |
|---|---|
 Pran Central, as viewed from Chapel Street | |
 Interactive map of the Pran Central area | |
| Former names | Read's Stores |
General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type |
|
Architectural style | Edwardian baroque |
| Location | 325 Chapel Street, Prahran, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°50′51″S 144°59′37″E / 37.84750°S 144.99361°E |
| Current tenants | Anchor tenants:
|
| Opened | 1915 |
| Renovated | 1978; 1999 |
| Renovation cost | A$60 million |
| Owner | Precision Group |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 7 |
| Floor area | 5,350 square metres (57,600 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Developer | Charles Moore & Company |
| Designations | National Trust of Australia (Victoria): Chapel Street Precinct |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | SJB Architects |
Pran Central is a heritage-listed seven storey Edwardian Baroque style former department store, built in 1915 for Read, comprising a shopping centre with apartments above. The building is located on the corner of Chapel Street and Commercial Road in the well-known retail precinct of Prahran, a suburb in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The shopping centre occupies the lower ground, ground floor and first floor mezzanine, with approximately 30 specialty stores along with a food court.[1][2]
History
[edit]The 1915 seven-storey building is notable for its Edwardian baroque architecture, parapets and dual domes.[1][3] The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) has listed the building as being of regional architectural, historical and social importance.[1][4]
Jacob Wayman Read operated a successful drapery business in Chapel Street from 1886.[5] In 1903 he partnered with the prosperous Adelaide retailer Charles Moore and Company, establishing a shop just south of the Commercial Road intersection next to the Prahran Hotel on the south west corner.[6][7] Moore appears to have combined their names into Chas M. Read's. The business rapidly expanded with a larger three level building, then expanded to the south and took over part of the hotel by 1909.[8] The business then took over the hotel and built the current large building, opening late 1914.[9] Designed by Sydney Smith & Ogg, it was intended to replace the earlier store to the south with a matching extensions, but this was never built.[4]
The building housed what was reputed to be the largest suburban department store in Australia in 1956.[10][11]
After the store closed, the lower storeys were converted into a shopping centre named Prahran Central in 1978 as part of a major redevelopment effort by John Gandel and Maurice Alter. It then became Pran Central after further redevelopment in 1999.[1][3] Some grand columns and coffered ceilings of the interior were retained.
Lang Walker acquired the property in 1999 for $22 million, and carried out a $60 million upgrade. The shopping centre was refurbished and the upper six floors converted from office space into luxury apartments, including two added floors under a curved roof.[1][10] SJB Architects won the 2004 City of Stonnington Urban Design Award for Best Heritage Design, Alterations and Additions/Restoration for the upgrade to the Pran Central Apartments.[12] In 2006 the shopping centre was purchased by Precision Group, from Lang Walker for $34.5 million.[2]
Gallery
[edit]
From the corner, 2026
Original signage
The mezzanine level
The food court
The retail mall
Thel Kaya Health Club located within the building
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Gurvich, Victoria (22 April 2001). "Livin' La Vida Chapel". The Age. p. 1.
- 1 2 Lindsay, Nicole (9 November 2006). "Prahran's Pran Goes to Sydney Developer". Herald Sun. p. 83.
- 1 2 Siew-Ching, Goh (1 November 2003). "Property Reviews: Pran Central Apartments, 325 Chapel Street". The Age. p. 24.
- 1 2 "Chapel Street Historic Area". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "MR. JACOB WAYMAN READ". The Prahran Telegraph. 23 February 1889. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- ↑ "CHAS. M. READ STORES". The Prahran Telegraph. 13 June 1903. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- ↑ "Obituary". Prahran Chronicle. Vic.: National Library of Australia. 7 October 1916. p. 5. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ↑ "THE CHAS. M. READ STORES". The Prahran Telegraph. 24 April 1909. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- ↑ "GREAT CHRISTMAS ATTRACTION". The Herald. 3 December 1914. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Landlords 'on a different planet'". The Australian. 23 March 2001. p. 36.
- ↑ "Suburbia's Top Store". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 19 January 1956. p. 11. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ↑ "Victoria". Architecture Australia. July 2004. p. 30.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Beyer, Emil (1905). Prahran Hotel and Read's first store (image). Picture Victoria. Government of Victoria.