Heritage Bendigo ‘round house’, where UFO meets Olympic-ring style, listed for $5m
404 Hargreaves St, Bendigo: tyre, Olympic ring, or UFO – you be the judge.
A Bendigo building that is the closest thing to a UFO on the Victorian Heritage Register is up for sale at an out of this world price.
The prominent 404 Hargreaves St address was a 1950s advertising gimmick that wound up becoming the state’s only ‘round house’ service station.
Originally hosting a Beaurepaires tyre dealership and service station, but currently home to a popular bakery, the well-rounded property has been dubbed one of Bendigo’s best remaining development prospects.
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And the one-of-a-kind piece of regional Victorian history is expected to make $5m.
Tweed Sutherland First National Bendigo principal Craig Tweed said the property also represented one of the Olympic rings of the 1956 Melbourne Games and had quickly begun to attract interest since being listed for sale.
“Everyone knows the building,” Mr Tweed said.
“It’s very well regarded as it’s a good reminder of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
“But it’s also a fantastic development site, arguably one of the most valuable sites remaining in Bendigo. Though there would be heritage issues with the rotunda.”
The 404 Hargreaves St, Bendigo, property fronts a high-profile roundabout location.
The unusual design has landed the property on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Designed by Melbourne architects Eggleston, McDonald and Secomb the building has been at the prominent corner since 1958.
Ian Beaurepaire, son of Sir Francis (Frank) Beaurepaire who co-founded the tyre service of the same name, got the idea after seeing a similar property while travelling in the United States.
It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as “a ‘round house’ service station” that is unique in the state.
The most eye-catching part of the 2023sq m property is its 140sq m circular showroom building with a circular canopy, which now provides shelter for al fresco dining, but there is also a warehouse currently leased out to commercial operators.
A warehouse, formerly a tyre factory, is also on the site.
The distinctive ring canopy’s underside is spoked like a wheel … or the underside of a UFO.
It has frontages to Hargreaves, Bath and Edward streets and is zoned for business and comes with extensive carparking.
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