GURNER Group has unveiled a first look at the central heartbeat of the Group’s $4billion regeneration precinct, Jam Factory, the Village Square - a major new civic and cultural space designed to become one of Melbourne’s great meeting places and a new chapter for a Melbourne love story.
Behind the restored red-brick façade will sit cobblestone laneways, a major new Village Square, luxury residences, an international hotel with vision and planning for restaurants, intimate bars, an extraordinary food hall, cinema and entertainment, wellness, gardens, fashion, art, culture and a private members’ club.
At its heart is a proposed Grand Food Hall, drawing inspiration from institutions such as Harrods Food Hall, Eataly and La Grande Épicerie, bringing together extraordinary fresh produce, bakery, patisserie, flowers, seafood, butchers, wine, specialty providores, restaurants and open kitchens within one theatrical marketplace.
Tim Gurner said, “The greatest precincts in the world have a heartbeat. There should always be something happening here. You should be able to arrive without a booking or a plan and know that something extraordinary is going on.”
“After 15 years, Melbourne gets the Jam Factory back. But we’re not trying to recreate what it was. We want to create what the Jam Factory would have become if it had never stopped evolving.”