Gallery: GTV9 Richmond, that was then, this is now…
What does Nine's former Television City in Richmond look like after its redevelopment?
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
After recent news that Nine had moved a step closer to redeveloping its Willoughby site as apartments I thought it would be timely to swing by Nine’s former GTV site in Richmond.
Nine officially exited its once-glorious “Television City” site in March 2011 for Docklands (although it packed up in December 2010). The top picture is the exterior as it looked back then. Below is how it appears now.
The former Wertheim Piano Factory had been home to shows from In Melbourne Tonight to the revived Hey Hey it’s Saturday, with stars too numerous to mention.
The front and side sections of the heritage-listed building are already apartments with residents with a new multi-storey complex still being constructed at the rear.
If you ever ambled down a side-street and into Studio 9 to watch a live show, these are now all apartment blocks. Sadly, Studio 9 -which was not part of the heritage listing- is completely demolished. That’s despite it being home to Gra-Gra, Don, Bert, Daryl and the thousands of guests that entertained us. It’s now a road. Yup.
The reception area facing Bendigo Street has had its wall removed and is now an archway path, opening to a courtyard. The courtyard is where the Channel Nine pool once used to be.
There’s a large interior space, which looks multi-purpose or yet to be completed, where Nine News studios once were. Might become a cafe, not sure. The old cafeteria, once the butt of many a joke, is also apartments fronting Bendigo Street.
At least the site has retained its signage including GTV9 and Television City, adding in Studio Nine.
I have no idea how aesthetic the new-apartments at the rear, to be known as Wertheim Square, will be once completed.
At the time GTV9 exited the site, a security guard at the gate told me I was the last person to ever sign the gate book….
7 Responses
Has the development or estate featured any other named elements inspired by the Channel 9 connection? Graham Kennedy Avenue? Bert Newton Street? Don Lane Lane!? etc
I ate at the Channel 9 cafeteria once or twice back in the old days. Remember nothing of what I ate but do remember once sharing a table with a guy who was an extra on The Flying Doctors. I think he was playing dead body #2 or something like that. The glamour of television.
There is not (and never was) a tower at the Bendigo St studios.
The transmission tower has always been at Mt Dandenong, along with the other networks.
Thanks David for this trip down memory lane, when Television City seemed like Hollywood in Richmond. When GTV9 was a classy outfit.
Ann I believe the tower is 6 storeys.
Make that 235 metre tower or 770 feet!!
Apartments under a 150 foot tower!!
How did the block miss this one, they would enough space to last for years, perhaps long enough to have a ‘ Kids of Fan’s versus Kids of Fave’s ‘ ??