← Back to Century Building
That's Built · Building report

Century Building

125-133 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Generated 8 November 2026
Commercial · Office
48 mheight
13floors
1938completed
64businesses
15permits

Development milestones

Completed1938Century Building completed: 13 floors

Building team

Builder
Swanson Brothers
Architect
Marcus Barlow
Owner
Howey Estate

Planning & subdivision

Zone
CCZ2
Overlays
DDO1, DDO2, DDO2-A1, DDO70, HO502, HO748, PO2
Strata plan
PS436062 · 74 lots
Scores
🚆 9 · ☕ 7 · 🌳 7 · ✨ 10

Timeline

2024Council census records it as office, 13 floors
Name recorded: Century Building
2022Council census records it as unoccupied - unused, 13 floors
Name recorded: Century Building
20214 building permits · about $1.1m of new works
Largest: Ground floor - BEST fit out works. Metro Tunnel HQ tenancy alteration.
20181 certificate · about $841k of new works
Largest: Alteration - MMEW Public Hub
20172 building permits · about $4k of new works
Largest: Existing fire alarm converted to another approved monitoring system (ASE replacement)
2012Council census records it as office, 13 floors
Name recorded: Century Building
20121 building permit · about $275k of new works
Largest: Shop fitout Tenancy G2 (Virgin Mobile)
2009Council census records it as workshop/studio, 13 floors
Name recorded: Century Building
20091 building permit
Largest: Internal retail tenancy fitout to Shop 1. Stage 2: Remainder of propsed building works
20081 building permit · about $65k of new works
Largest: Internal retail tenancy fitout to Shop 1. Stage 1: Internal building works only and does not include any proposed works.
20071 building permit · about $127k of new works
Largest: Zoe Tees internal fitout. To completion of internal fitout works only, Ground Floor.
20051 building permit · about $10k of new works
Largest: New dividing walls to existing office tenancy on level 2.
2004Council census records it as workshop/studio, 13 floors
Name recorded: CENTURY BUILDING
20041 building permit and 1 certificate · about $32k of new works
Largest: Office partition alterations Suite 903
20021 certificate · about $157k of new works
Largest: Basement Levels 1 & 2 - Installation of new door openings and new sanitary facilities - Toilet alterations at the Hi Fi Bar.
2002First council census entry: wholesale, 13 floors
20012 building permits and 1 certificate · about $390k of new works
Largest: Stage; int arch & lighting lvl 1-11 & mech svcs upgrade works; grnd - lvl 11 :- refurb& subdivworks to existing bldg.inc night club cooling
20001 building permit and 1 certificate · about $50k of new works
Largest: shop 4 fitout
1938Century Building completed: 13 floors
Derived from eMelbourne (The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online)

Building permits and certificates (20)

Each cost is the estimate on that record. Stages of a project often repeat its full value, so these don't add up to what was spent.

17 Sept 2021Stage 3 - To Permit Remainder of Proposed Works Including Alterations to Existing Facade$290k
02 Aug 2021Stage 2 - To Permit Remainder of Building Works Internally Excluding Construction of the Proposed Shop Front$290k
04 June 2021Proposed Internal & External Alterations to Existing Retail Tenancy for Puzzle Coffee - Stage 1 - To Permit Internal Non-Structural Demolition Works Only$200k
18 Jan 2021Ground floor - BEST fit out works. Metro Tunnel HQ tenancy alteration.$350k
22 June 2018Alteration - MMEW Public Hub$841k
08 June 2017Existing fire alarm converted to another approved monitoring system (ASE replacement)$2k
08 June 2017Existing fire alarm converted to another approved monitoring system - (ASE Replacement)$2k
27 Jan 2012Shop fitout Tenancy G2 (Virgin Mobile)$275k
19 Mar 2009Internal retail tenancy fitout to Shop 1. Stage 2: Remainder of propsed building works$0
31 Mar 2008Internal retail tenancy fitout to Shop 1. Stage 1: Internal building works only and does not include any proposed works.$65k
17 Sept 2007Zoe Tees internal fitout. To completion of internal fitout works only, Ground Floor.$127k
31 Aug 2005New dividing walls to existing office tenancy on level 2.$10k
04 Oct 2004Office partition alterations Suite 903$32k
08 June 2004Alteration to existing building. Stage 3 - New sprinkler valve roon access and electrical upgrade works to the lower basement nightclub levels.$1
14 June 2002Basement Levels 1 & 2 - Installation of new door openings and new sanitary facilities - Toilet alterations at the Hi Fi Bar.$157k
02 Oct 2001Ground floor tenancy fitout works to existing building - Virgin mobile retail store$80k
10 Apr 2001shop 4 : fit out for Maestro fashions$10k
06 Feb 2001Stage; int arch & lighting lvl 1-11 & mech svcs upgrade works; grnd - lvl 11 :- refurb& subdivworks to existing bldg.inc night club cooling tower$300k
08 Aug 2000Installation of alarm signalling equipment$190
06 Apr 2000shop 4 fitout$50k

Questions and answers

Is Century Building residential or commercial?
Century Building is a commercial building. The City of Melbourne lists its main use as office.

When was Century Building built?
Century Building was completed in 1938.

How many floors does Century Building have?
Century Building has 13 floors above ground.

What businesses are in Century Building?
The latest council census counted 64 businesses in Century Building, including AAC Jewellers, AA-Nika Engraving and A Diamond Art.

Is there office or retail space for lease in Century Building?
See the commercial listings on this page, or search this address on realcommercial.com.au and commercialrealestate.com.au.

Who designed and built Century Building?
Marcus Barlow designed Century Building and Swanson Brothers built it. The building team section has the sources.

How tall is Century Building?
About 48 metres, measured from the City of Melbourne's 3D building model. It's number 325 of 1596 buildings in Melbourne by height.

What public transport is near Century Building?
Town Hall Station is the nearest train station, about 2 minutes' walk. The nearest tram stop is Melbourne Town Hall/Collins St #6, about 1 minute's walk.

What is the planning zone for Century Building?
The site is in the Capital City Zone - Schedule 2 (CCZ2). It's also under a Heritage Overlay (HO502).

Does Century Building have an owners corporation?
Plan of subdivision PS436062 has 74 lots and common property, which means it is managed by an owners corporation.

Has any work been done on Century Building recently?
The City of Melbourne has issued 15 building permits for Century Building since 2000. The most recent was in September 2021.

Sources: City of Melbourne building permits (CC BY 4.0); CLUE building information (CC BY 4.0); CLUE business establishments (CC BY 4.0); Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF) (Open G-NAF EULA (CC BY 4.0 based)). General information from public records, not legal, financial or building advice.

Suggest a correction

Something wrong or missing? Tell us what it should say. We check every suggestion before changing anything.

By sending, you agree to the contributor terms. See how we handle your details in the privacy policy.