niina.amniisia » bits, pieces and photos from sydney, australia and elsewhere

griffiths teas building [4 shots] (Monday October 2nd, 2006)

category: city

I love the look of the Griffiths Teas building. I’ve been dreaming for years to land myself a lot of dollars to buy it. I’d spruce up the inside – the top two floors for me, one floor for a cafe/restaurant, one for a book shop, one for a gig venue, one for a gallery – and leave the outside just as ragged as it is now. That dream’s unlikely so I’ll hope instead that someone does something with it but that they don’t tear it down just to put a big apartment block in its place.

griffiths teas
At this size it’s a little hard to see but on each floor, below the “FI” in “Griffiths”, there is a wooden door – you wouldn’t want to absent-mindedly walk out one of those!

griffiths teas

griffiths teas

griffiths teas

4 comments to “griffiths teas building [4 shots]”
lostmusic said on October 6th, 2006 at 3:37 am:

cool photos. I love stuff like this. It would be a shame to see a building with character disappear for flats or some such modern ‘necessity’.

RO said on December 18th, 2006 at 3:41 pm:

i know where this is! yeah i would have to agree wit u and lostmusic. adapting it into a gallery and music space sounds like an awesome idea. not sure on how the acoustics would work though.

richard kuipers said on April 5th, 2008 at 11:27 am:

Yes, this is one of the great city buildings. It’s so huge and intriguing. I go past it every day and it’s obsessed me for years – along with the old Australian Workers Union Bld. opposite the Fire Station in Castlereagh St. Now, if this were Melbourne the City Council would at least investigate the possibility of getting the building running again and even assisting the artists, writers, etc, who’d be perfect tenants to have and would bring life back into a city they can no longer afford to live and work in city. That’s what’s happening in Melbourne at the moment with the Nicholas Building in Flinders Lane. Anyway, enough of the soapbox, but just imagine this great building springing to life again. Anyone who’s interested in beautiful old buildings should hurry down to The Sussex Hay Centre (405-411 Sussex St, Haymarket). I was a tenant there for 5 years and it’s about to be demolished after standing since 1892. A terrible loss. People were crying on the street when it closed the doors for the final time on Monday 31 March, 2008.

Christine Clucas said on March 8th, 2009 at 7:47 am:

I certainly hope that this building is restored. In 2007 Clover Moore suggested to the NSW Parliament that it be redeveloped and restored. I have a particular interest in this great old building as my Grandfather, James Clucas, worked in that building. He was known for blending Griffiths Bros. Teas’ popular Afternoon Tea. If anyone has an update on plans for the restoration of this building, I would be very interested to know.