AMP Tower
1975 - Former AMP Building, 140 St Georges Terrace is a 30-storey skyscraper in Perth, WA Opened in 1975, the 131-metre tower was known as the AMP Building or AMP Tower after its owner and former flagship tenant, AMP Limited, which financed its construction. The building became the tallest completed skyscraper in Perth in 1975, a title which it held only until 1976, when Allendale Square was opened. The building replaced a former AMP Building, a beautiful six-storey building clad with sandstone, with an interior was decorated with jarrah. The top of the building featured an iconic bronze statue, which became a landmark atop the chambers. When AMP announced plans to demolish the building and erect in its place a modern skyscraper, the National Trust refused to classify the building as in need of protection.
Although the building could not be saved from demolition, the iconic statue atop it was saved by Clive Rutty and purchased by millionaire collector Lew Whiteman, who paid $1000 for it. When the statue was removed from the building on 19 March 1972, a piece of wood was found within it with the names on it of the four men who erected it in October 1914. AMP later asked to buy the statue back from Whiteman, and he told them they did not deserve it. After the death of Whiteman, the statue was bought at auction for $60,800 by the land developers, Sherwood Overseas, and placed in its current position in the centre of a lake of Floreat Waters, on the western side of Herdsman Lake.
When the tower was first built in 1975, an "iconic" commissioned sculpture by Howard Taylor was installed in its forecourt. The sculpture, entitled "The Black Stump", was constructed of concrete and mosaic tile and weighed more than 28 tonnes (62,000 lb). It was relocated to the University of Western Australia in 1990, where it has remained beside the Octagon Theatre ever since.
The Black Stump
The tower originally housed an observation deck on the 29th floor, offering sweeping views across the central business district. However, when both its west and east views were blocked by the construction of the BankWest Tower in 1988 and Central Park in 1992, this observation deck was closed.
The building was used by AMP as its state headquarters from its opening in 1975 until 2002 when most of its staff moved to West Perth offices. The last AMP staff shifted out of the building in 2003. The base of the tower is located 15 metres above sea level, and the roof of the building rises 131 metres above the street below. The building has 28 office levels, in addition to the ground floor, basement levels and plant room.
