Griffith City Council Purchases Historic 'Clock' Building

Friday January 16, 2015

 

Griffith City Council is pleased to announce it has purchased the historic property currently referred to as the ‘Clock’ building as part of its vision to develop a cultural precinct on Banna Avenue, the main street of Griffith, NSW.

The familiar landmark at 239 Banna Avenue is a fine example of ‘Interwar’ architecture, first built in 1933 to house the Rural Bank of NSW for many years. The prominent clock tower has a number of art deco features while the main building exhibits neo-classical design, making it a unique building on Banna Avenue.

The ‘Clock’ building stands on a block of 693m2 and was purchased from Griffith-based vendors at the price of $900,000, including fixtures, fittings and equipment. The valuation of the building was supported by an independent valuation firm.

“The acquisition of this prominent piece of real estate adjacent to Griffith City Library will provide a wonderful opportunity for Council to plan development of a cultural precinct in Banna Avenue,” said Griffith Mayor John Dal Broi.

“Following this purchase, Council will begin to draft a Master Plan for the area to accommodate this vision. Stage implementation of the Master Plan will occur through Council's 10-year Financial Plan,” Mayor Dal Broi added.

Council will consider opportunities to lease the building during the Master Plan Development phase, which is expected to get underway after settlement, according to Council’s General Manager Brett Stonestreet.

“Our Master Plan will be developed by Council in consultation with the community and we look forward to this step in the process as we engage our local residents,” Mr Stonestreet said.

In recent years the building has been home to the State Bank as well as eateries such as The Clock Restaurant (Wine Lounge and Pizzeria) and Tango’s Bar & Grill. Settlement on the sale of the building was completed by Thursday January 15, 2015.