A historically significant wall is to be restored as part of Lendlease’s 6.1 acre Melbourne Quarter development.

Constructed in 1890 by Victorian Railways, the 174 metre bluestone retaining wall on Flinders Street marks the site of Batman’s Hill and John Batman’s first home, constituting an important slice of Melbourne’s history. Before World War II, the wall was a place where workers would congregate in the hope of receiving a day’s work at the docks.

Mark Menhinnitt, managing director of urban regeneration at Lendlease, explains how the wall will be integrated into the development. “The retaining wall will be restored and seamlessly integrated into Melbourne Quarter as part of a new grand porte-cochere arrival experience on Flinders Street.

“It will form part of a new public pedestrian connection from Melbourne Quarter to the CBD’s Spencer Street. High-quality construction and restorative works will celebrate the site’s colourful heritage and breathe new life into the precinct to create new and vibrant spaces for the public to enjoy,” he says.

“Bluestone components will become publicly visible as part of these works for the first time. By uncovering these elements, the wall will take on a new dimensional experience and will allow for a greater understanding of the structure’s design, construction and original retaining purpose.”

Fender Katsalidis has been appointed as residential architects of the precinct, with Aspect Oculus carrying out the landscape architecture and heritage experts Lovell Chen.

Victorian planning minister Richard Wynne approved Melbourne Quarter in mid-2016. The large-scale mixed-use project will feature a series of new internal laneways connecting workers, residents and visitors to the greater CBD area. The precinct also includes approximately 1690 apartments and 40 new speciality retailers.

Read more about the plans for Melbourne Quarter.