Stamford on Kent facts for kids

Stamford on Kent, once known as Caltex House, is a tall building called a skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. It has 28 floors! When it was finished in 1957, it was special because it was the very first skyscraper in Australia made entirely of concrete.

Building History

Building a Landmark

Work on this building started in 1955. A company called Civil & Civic began building it for Caltex Australia. It was going to be their main office. The building is located in an area of Sydney called Millers Point.

Australia's First Concrete Skyscraper

When it was finished in 1957, it was a big deal! It was Australia's first skyscraper made completely from concrete. It had 20 floors and was the tallest building in Australia at that time.

Cool Features

This building also had some other amazing features:

• It had the largest private car park in Australia, with space for 425 cars.
• It also had the fastest lifts (elevators) in Australia!

From Offices to Homes

In August 1996, the building, then called Caltex House, was sold. A group called Stamford Hotel Group bought it. They decided to change it from an office building into a place for homes and a hotel.

The building was made taller, going from 20 floors to 28 floors. This big change was finished in early 2000.

• Floors 10 to 28 became 157 apartments, known as the Stamford on Kent.
• Floors 1 to 9 were turned into hotel rooms. This part was called the Stamford Plaza Sydney. It was ready for visitors coming to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
• Later, these hotel rooms were also changed into apartments.

So, a building that was once a busy office for a big company became a place where people live and stay!