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Forest Hill Chase

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Coordinates: 37°50′07″S 145°09′45″E / 37.8354°S 145.1625°E / -37.8354; 145.1625
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Forest Hill Chase is a major regional shopping centre located in the eastern suburb of Forest Hill in Melbourne, Australia. Owned and managed by Haben, the centre is among the oldest in Victoria, opening on 30 June 1964 as an outdoor strip shopping centre, before being developed over the years into its current three level indoor form. Currently, Forest Hill Chase contains 200 stores and over 3500 free car parking spaces. The centre has three supermarkets, two discount department stores and some smaller anchor stores.

Forest Hill Chase
Map
LocationForest Hill, Victoria, Australia
Opening date30 June 1964; 60 years ago (1964-06-30)
Previous namesForest Hills
DeveloperPacific Shopping Centres
ManagementHaben
OwnerPacific Shopping Centres (1956-2004)
Novion (-2015)
Blackstone (2015-2022)
Haben
No. of stores and services204
No. of anchor tenants7 major
10 minor
Total retail floor area64,935 m2 (698,950 sq ft)
No. of floors3
Parking~3400
Websitewww.foresthillchase.com.au
View from Canterbury Road c. 1968
Photo showing original strip mall section
Photo of centre in 1994
Entry 7 to the centre (the food court entry) from Mahoneys Road looking west
View of the 3 levels of Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre looking east, April 2016

History

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Origins

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The Forest Hills Shopping Centre opened on the 30th of June 1964. [1]

The project was the result of a joint partnership between developers Maurice Alter and Paul Fayman, who purchased the 27-acre site in 1956. [2][3] The land had previously been used as fruit and poultry farms. [4] Architects Leslie M Perrott & Partners were appointed to design the £6 million centre and plans were revealed in September 1958. [5]

Early tenants included Moores, McEwans, Coles, Bradmans, Toy World, Clark Rubber, and the first Safeway (now Woolworths) store in Australia. [6][7][8] Carlton & United Breweries had applied to build a hotel on the site but were ultimately rejected by council who received almost 100 letters of protest from ratepayers. [9]

Additional strip shops, an executive offices building, auditorium, medical clinic, and a sports centre with an indoor pool and gymnasium were constructed on Mahoneys Road c. 1968-69. [10] The Forest Hill Cinema opened on 1 June 1968 with 337 seats and was operated by the Svampa Brothers.[11][12] The large stage was also used for theatrical presentations. It closed in September 1989 shortly before Hoyts opened the Forest Hill 10 cinema on 26/12/1989. [13]

The second stage of development began in 1975 with the construction of a $10 million "inside" shopping centre with an air-conditioned food market called "Marketplace". [6] The addition was located directly south of the original mall and was significantly altered in the 1989 redevelopment.

Although Forest Hill's traditional strip layout offered greater flexibility with trading hours and the ability to generate follow-up incomes through window shopping, these advantages were diminishing, and in 1986 $100 million was invested into the centre's conversion to a fully contained indoor centre.[14]

The first part of the development began in August 1986, with houses being moved from Flora Grove and roadworks to develop Pacific Way in 1987.[15] The original strip mall was demolished in June 1987 and the new three-story addition opened in 1989.[16] The expanded centre had 210 tenancies including Coles, Venture, Kmart and Hoyts, and was based on the design of the St. Louis Galleria in Missouri.[17] The architecture is distinguished by a roof of polycarbonate construction with a barrel vault design.

During circa 1997, Harris Scarfe was downsized from its two level form to occupying only level 1,[18] to allow a new Big W store to open in the now vacant space on level 2. An AMF (now Zone Bowling) and children's play centre Run Riot was constructed on Level 3 a couple of years later. [citation needed]

In December 2004, Melbourne businessman Maurice Alter sold the Forest Hill Chase shopping centre to listed retail property trust CFS Gandel, managed by Colonial First State Property, for $214.5 million. The sale was close to being the largest national (Australian) retail property deal of the year and it included property management rights and the potential for redevelopment.

At the time of purchase, Colonial First State Property fund manager Bevan Towning ruled out any immediate major redevelopment plans, saying the intention was to change the centre's retailing mix by introducing the same national brands it had at its other shopping centres, Chadstone and Northland. They also wanted to revitalize the centre and give it a "new look".[19]

2007–2012 major redevelopments

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Levels one and two (2006−2007)

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In the biggest redevelopment of the centre since 1989, levels one and two of the centre were completely refurbished in 2007. Major milestones of the redevelopment program, which started in December 2006, are as follows:

  • The Relocation of Kmart Tyre & Auto Service from next to the centre entrance to the former Kmart, to a new free standing site in Pacific Way, which was completed in March 2007.
  • The refurbishment of the level one and two interior malls, with new floor tiling laid, removal of the traditional gold balustrades with modern steel balustrades installed, and the removal of the stairwells at the south of the centre near Big W.
  • The level two toilets were fully refurbished, completed in June 2007.
  • The Mahoneys Road entrance was upgraded, with the existing canopy replaced and upgraded with a terrace installed on level 3 for use by The Chase Hotel, which was completed by June 2007.
  • Kmart's permanent closure on 31 January 2007 and subsequent conversion to Target, which opened in September 2007.
  • The refurbishment and extension of the food court, completed in September 2007.

Level three (2010–2011)

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The third level was expanded and refurbished during the second half of 2010, complementing the earlier refurbishment of the other levels of the centre and introducing a number of new tenants. The redeveloped level officially re-opened on 15 December 2010 with some retailers opening earlier or later in the following months.

  • The refurbishment of level 3, including mall reconfiguration, expansion and renovation, new escalators between levels two and three, and a new centre entry to a new car park, completed in December 2010.
  • The construction of an additional deck of car parking located west of Hoyts above the existing Target/Coles multi-deck car park, including 317 spaces, opening on 15 December 2010.
  • Establishing a new 'Entertainment and Dining' precinct with a refurbished Hoyts cinema, three new restaurants as well as new minor anchor retailers JB Hi-Fi, Rebel and gymnasium Fit n Fast.

Replacing Myer and new fresh food market (2012)

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In 2012, Harris Scarfe returned to the centre and spent more than $2 million redeveloping the store in the area previously occupied by Myer.

The centre also expanded its fresh food market on level one, which included a new Aldi supermarket on top of the Canterbury Road multi deck car park, which caused a small increase in undercover parking. A new refurbished bus zone was also built as a result. (A temporary bus zone was constructed adjacent to Kmart Tyre & Auto during construction).

Minor improvements (2013)

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The glass lift in the food court that travels from the basement car park through to level 3 was replaced, as the existing lift was too small, causing heavy congestion as it became the only fully accessible way to move between levels 2 and 3 after a past level 3 redevelopment. The expanded lift is now operating and carries up to 26 people. New facade and centre entrance treatments were also installed along the Canterbury Road car park frontage and around the Level 2 Best & less centre entry.

Renovations and re-configurations (2017–2019)

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In late 2017, the latest renovations started, which were to completely revamp the third floor, and partially renovate the second floor.

  • The east wing of the Level 2 mall, which formerly housed Dimmeys and a few other retailers, was closed down for several months and completely renovated and re-configured. Dimmeys moved to a smaller location near the Level 1 food court (which later closed down permanently) with JB Hi-Fi and Rebel moving from their former Level 3 tenancies. The escalators linking Level 2 and Level 3 were also removed to allow for more retail space.
  • In 2018, Big W closed down, with a new TK Maxx store occupying part of the available space, with its entrance opposite the newly re-located JB Hi-Fi and Rebel stores. A new Medical Centre and Child Care Centre will occupy the remainder of the space of the former Big W.
  • In 2019, Level 3 was renovated, with the space left behind by JB Hi-Fi and Rebel being converted into more dining retailers, with the whole level getting a refurbishment and being branded as "The Loft". Zone Bowling (formerly AMF) and Timezone were also renovated to combine the two tenancies together with a new look. A new glass lift was also installed near the travelator located outside Woolworths with access to all levels.

References

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  1. ^ "Forest Hill Shopping Centre Invitation To Prospective Tenants". The Age. 28 March 1964. p. 8. Retrieved 27 August 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "New Centre at Nunawading". The Age. 19 September 1958. p. 3. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "$200 Million & More". Financial Review. 12 May 1989. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Forest Hill History". Whitehorse Historical Society. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "£6m Shop Centre for Nunawading". The Age. 27 May 1959. p. 5. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b "$10 Million development will make this the largest shopping/market complex in the Eastern suburbs". The Age. 2 July 1975. p. 7.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Coles to Open at Forest Hill". The Age. 15 July 1964. p. 8. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Sharp, Ari (23 August 2008). "Woolworths expands its brand". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Nunawading Refuses Permit For Hotel Site". The Age. 26 May 1959. p. 3.
  10. ^ Davie, Ray (21 November 1968). "Shop centre buys 80 acres for housing". The Age. p. 13.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Roe, Ken. "Forest Hill Cinema". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Kennedy, Ray (24 December 1988). "Complex shadow hangs over Forest Hill Cinema". The Age. p. 5. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Hoyts 10 Forest Hill Opens Today!". The Age. 26 December 1989. p. 24. Retrieved 22 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Bruce, David (5 April 1989). "Strip retailers the losers as big centres grow". The Age.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Centre's Growth". Nunawading Gazette. 5 December 1990. p. 17.
  16. ^ "Explore the History of the Forest - Introduction". foresthillchase.com.au. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  17. ^ Luker, Paul (28 September 1988). "Forest Hills centre gets $100m facelift". The Age. p. 69.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Wood, Leonie (12 August 1997). "Harris Scarfe boosted by new stores". The Age.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ "Forest Hill's $214m sale lights up Christmas". The Age. 17 December 2004. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
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37°50′07″S 145°09′45″E / 37.8354°S 145.1625°E / -37.8354; 145.1625

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