Boans was one of Western Australia’s first retail chain stores with a history in the State from 1895 to 1985 when it was purchased by the Melbourne based Myer department store chain in 1985 and re-branded.

The iconic Boans Warehouse building which sits proud on the hill overlooking the renewed and re-developed East Perth region of Western Australia’s State Capital City, was the Boans Store’s – furniture factory from the early 1900’s and is the only building in the State still to retain the Boans Store logo.

It was a derelict and disused building which occupied a half street block, which lay dormant for many years but eventually came under the control of the East Perth Redevelopment Authority (EPRA) who were empowered in the early 1990’s to re-invent and re-energise the Eastern section of Perth.

In 1994, with the support of the Heritage Council of Western Australia, EPRA sought to put the valuable site and building up for sale by public tender, encouraging potential purchasers to upgrade and convert the existing building to residential and mixed use tenancies.

The successful purchaser of the landmark was the Fini Group, who recognised its potential and sought to re-birth the building as a unique residential building for a new generation of Western Australians. The principal architect for the project was Michael Patroni, a well known and respected designer who has worked on a number of heritage properties across Perth.

Both the new owners and the architect, sought to retain as much of the old building as possible and to incorporate its vast open spaces, natural light and structural beams into the residential buildings they sought to create. The sought inspiration from the lost style apartments of New York but also incorporated a number of uniquely Australian features such as the use of corrugated iron.

The final design allowed for the creation of:

• 9 x four level terraces
• 21 x two level terrace apartments
• 10 x single level loft apartments
• Sizes ranged from 64 m² to 210 m², and provided residents with a unique place to live.

The re-development of the warehouse has won many awards over the years for construction and architectural outcomes but best of all, it has remained a heritage listed building.

Our Development Partner – Adam Roebuck was involved in the following aspects of this project:

• Design input,
• Project management,
• Creation of Strata Plan and Company for the development,
• Developed and implemented a sales and marketing program for the project,
• Arranged residential leasing contracts,
• Managed lease-back contracts, and
• Reported to shareholders.