Dandenong Hub
 | |
| Address | 15-23 Langhorne Street, Dandenong |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 27 November 1974 |
| Developer | Hanover Holdings |
| Owner | Strata title |
| Architect | Bill Millar Ray Barnard Brown |
| No. of stores and services | 40 |
| Total retail floor area | 3,148m2 |
| No. of floors | 2 (shopping centre) 6 (including offices) |
Dandenong Hub is a small regional shopping centre and former office building in Dandenong, Australia. Situated between Langhorne Street and Dandenong Square, it has a small selection of specialty stores and independent grocers.
Opening in 1974, Dandenong Hub is one of the oldest unaltered commercial buildings in the area. A high crime rate, the proximity of competing centres and complicated management have contributed to a decline in patronage especially in recent years.
History
[edit]Designed in the post-war modernist style, supervising architects Bill Millar and Ray Barnard-Brown prepared plans for the development which incorporated two air-conditioned retail floors of 43 shops, a food court and 2760 square metres of office space across 4 upper levels.[1]
It was developed at a cost of $7m by Hanover Holdings, a realestate group jointly controlled by Paul Fayman, Maurice Alter and George Herscu. They sold it to the Local Authorities Superannuation Board for $9.2m amid the dissolution of their partnership in the late 1970s.[2]
1974 Opening
[edit]
Dandenong Hub was officially opened on 27 November 1974 by Public Works Minister Roberts Dunstan, who revealed a commemorative plaque. The grand opening featured live music from a jazz band and special appearances by television personalities Sue Donovan, Philip Brady, and Jimmy Hannan, who entertained the crowd and signed autographs for the thousands of shoppers in attendance.[3]
Some 10,000 complimentary tickets to Village drive-in theatres were distributed during the opening week. From the outset, the arcade's two retail floors attracted prominent tenants including Walsh's, Brashs, Yamaha Music Centre, Portmans, Tresurway, PB Shoes, Roger David, and A. E. Moore and Sons.[4]
Decline
[edit]Although initially popular, patronage of Dandenong Hub began a long and drawn–out decline in 1989, when the adjacent Myer department store was converted into a rival indoor shopping centre (today known as Dandenong Plaza). The Hub is currently owned by several entities through a strata arrangement, which limits and complicates refurbishment and major works.[5]
The food court did not recover after the COVID lockdowns in 2020–21 and has sat vacant since.[5] In July 2025, the Greater Dandenong Leader revealed that an encampment of 30 rough sleepers had taken over the building's fire stairwells and unoccupied office space. They also shed light on recent reports of gang violence, blatant drug dealing and brazen or elaborate robberies that have been on the rise.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Offices in Dandenong; COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY: [Late Edition]". The Age. 17 January 1998. p. 6.
- ^ Brolley, Mark (4 May 1983). "Waltons expects about $35 million for properties". The Age. p. 25.
- ^ Adress by the Chairman, Mr. James Firebrace Hemphill, at the Annual General Meeting for 1974. Hanover Holdings Limited. 1974. p. 5 – via University of Melbourne Archives, Records of the Stock Exchange of Melbourne Limited, Boxes 104–105.
- ^ Salama-West, Philip (23 July 2025). "50 years ago: Havoc at Dandenong Hub". Endevour Hills Star Journal.
- ^ a b Sahar, Foladi (25 January 2025). "Traders mired in Hub squalor". Dandenong Star Journal.
- ^ "Is this filthy, crime-ridden shopping centre Melbourne's worst?". The Greater Dandenong Leader. July 2025.