The Empire Apartments
256-268 Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
- 40 m tall · #415 in Melbourne
- 14 floors
- 378 homes
- 11 businesses
- 32 car spaces
What's available here Add a listing link
| Looking to | In this building | Area guide | Search the building |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy | — | Unit median $545,000 | realestate.com.au ↗domain.com.au ↗ |
| Rent | — | 1-bed median $560/wk | realestate.com.au ↗domain.com.au ↗ |
| Lease space | — | — | realcommercial.com.au ↗commercialrealestate.com.au ↗ |
Area guides are suburb medians, not this building's prices. Each link opens a Google search limited to that site.
20 years standing
Built in 3 yrs 11 mths
- Feb 2002Construction started
- 2006Completed
- TodayStill standing
30 building permitsFull timeline ↓
About The Empire Apartments
The Empire Apartments is a 14-storey mixed use building on Flinders Street, mainly used as residential apartments. Construction began in 2001 and the building was completed in 2006. It has 378 homes and was designed by Nahum Barnet. Baycrown was the developer for a refurbishment, with ClarkeHopkinsClarke as architect.
At a glance
Key facts
- Building type
- 🏬 Mixed use
- Completed
- 2006
- Construction started
- 1906 Unconfirmed ?We don't have data to 100% confirm this data point as yet.
- Height
- 40 m Unconfirmed ?We don't have data to 100% confirm this data point as yet.
#415 of 1596 in Melbourne - Floors
- 14
- Footprint
- 1,725 m²
- Homes
- 378 Unconfirmed ?We don't have data to 100% confirm this data point as yet.
- Architect
- Nahum Barnet Unconfirmed ?We don't have data to 100% confirm this data point as yet.
- Businesses
- 11
- Car spaces
- 32
- Strata plan
- PS508080 · 318 lots
- Planning zone
- CCZ2
- Permits on record
- 30
Score cards
Flinders Street Station 1 min walk · 9 tram stops within 400 m
113 cafés, 13 grocers, 18 medical within 250 m
16 street trees within 150 m · park 168 m away
11,654 people pass daily nearby · 60 licensed venues within 200 m
Calculated from PTV timetable stops, the City of Melbourne business census, street trees, pedestrian sensors and liquor licences.
Apartments
The council hasn't recorded a bedroom breakdown for The Empire Apartments.
🚗 32 residential car spaces recorded at this property, about 0.1 per home. Which apartments have a space isn't recorded, so check the listing.
City of Melbourne Development Activity Monitor and off-street car parks, CC BY 4.0.
The building team
The people and companies behind the design, construction and management of The Empire Apartments.
Location & neighbourhood
Getting around
Train station1 min · 78 m
Train station2 min · 141 m
Tram stop1 min · 77 m
Tram stop1 min · 77 m
Tram stop1 min · 119 m
Straight-line walking estimate. Source: PTV GTFS, CC BY 4.0.
Within a 3-minute walk
Who lives in Melbourne (CBD)
ABS Census 2016 via City of Melbourne (CC BY).
Prices and rents around here
Suburb and area medians, not this building's prices.
Prices: Victorian Property Sales Report, © State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning), CC BY 4.0.
Median weekly rents for new leases, CBD-St Kilda Rd
| Apartment | Median rent | Change in a year | Trend since Mar 2016 | New leases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $560/wk | +1.8% | 6,274 in the year to Sep 2025 | |
| 2 bedroom | $735/wk | +2.1% | 6,605 in the year to Sep 2025 | |
| 3 bedroom | $1050/wk | -4.5% | 737 in the year to Sep 2025 |
Source: Homes Victoria Rental Report, CC BY 4.0. Area medians, not this building's rents.
Businesses in The Empire Apartments
11 businesses recorded in the City of Melbourne's latest business census.
BWS
Clementines
Coco Fresh Tea & Juice
Field Work Coffee
Flinders St Woolworths
Grill'd
Home @ Real Estate Pty Ltd
II Tempo
Taste Of China
Looking for space in The Empire Apartments?
Timeline
Everything that has happened at The Empire Apartments: listings, news, works, planning and history.
Planning & heritage
Planning controls
DDO1Design and Development Overlay: limits on building height, setbacks and designDDO2Design and Development Overlay: limits on building height, setbacks and designDDO2-A1Design and Development Overlay: limits on building height, setbacks and designHO505Heritage Overlay: a permit is needed to demolish or change the outside of heritage placesHO656Heritage Overlay: a permit is needed to demolish or change the outside of heritage placesPO2Parking Overlay: controls on how much car parking new development can provideVicmap Planning, © State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning), CC BY 4.0. Plain-English summaries are ours. Check the planning scheme for exact controls.
Subdivision & permits
- Plan of subdivision
- PS508080
- Lots on the plan
- 318
- Owners corporation
- Not recorded
- Building permits on record
- 30
- Estimated cost of works
- About $11.2m
Costs are estimates declared on permits, not amounts spent. Stages of a project repeat its value, so we group them and count each project once. A value can cover a project spanning several buildings. Our calculation from City of Melbourne building permits, CC BY 4.0.
History of the site
How it's been recorded over time
City of Melbourne Census of Land Use and Employment, since 2002.
Community
What people say about The Empire Apartments in public forums and groups, and reviews left here.
Resident & tenant reviews
No reviews of The Empire Apartments yet. Be the first to tell future neighbours what it's like.
Reviews are checked before they're published. No one is named without permission.
Rate and review The Empire Apartments
Frequently asked questions
Is The Empire Apartments residential or commercial?
The Empire Apartments mixes homes and businesses under one roof. The City of Melbourne lists its main use as residential apartment.
When was The Empire Apartments built?
The Empire Apartments was completed in 2006.
How many floors does The Empire Apartments have?
The Empire Apartments has 14 floors above ground.
How many apartments are in The Empire Apartments?
The Empire Apartments has 378 homes. The national address file lists 307 unit addresses here, and some of those can be shops or offices.
Does The Empire Apartments have parking?
The City of Melbourne records 32 residential car spaces at this property. Which apartments have a space isn't recorded, so check the listing.
What do apartments cost near The Empire Apartments?
The median unit price in Melbourne was $545,000 in 2025, from the Victorian Property Sales Report. That's for the whole suburb, not this building.
What businesses are in The Empire Apartments?
The latest council census counted 11 businesses in The Empire Apartments, including BWS, Clementines and Coco Fresh Tea & Juice.
Are there apartments for sale or rent in The Empire Apartments?
See the residential listings on this page, or use the shortcuts to search 256-268 Flinders Street on realestate.com.au and Domain.
Is there office or retail space for lease in The Empire Apartments?
See the commercial listings on this page, or search this address on realcommercial.com.au and commercialrealestate.com.au.
Who designed and built The Empire Apartments?
Baycrown developed The Empire Apartments and Nahum Barnet designed it. The building team section has the sources.
How tall is The Empire Apartments?
About 40 metres, measured from the City of Melbourne's 3D building model. It's number 415 of 1596 buildings in Melbourne by height.
What public transport is near The Empire Apartments?
Flinders Street Station is the nearest train station, about 1 minute's walk. The nearest tram stop is Flinders Street Station/Elizabeth St #1, about 1 minute's walk.
What is the planning zone for The Empire Apartments?
The site is in the Capital City Zone - Schedule 2 (CCZ2). It's also under a Heritage Overlay (HO505).
Does The Empire Apartments have an owners corporation?
Plan of subdivision PS508080 has 318 lots.
Has any work been done on The Empire Apartments recently?
The City of Melbourne has issued 30 building permits for The Empire Apartments since 1994. The most recent was in March 2025.
Compare with nearby buildings
| Building | Type | Distance | Floors | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Empire Apartments | Mixed use | — | 14 | 2006 |
| Double Tree by Hilton | Hotel | 26 m | 15 | 1977 |
| River View House | Commercial | 47 m | 17 | 1972 |
| UniLodge on Flinders | Student accommodation | 71 m | 14 | 1932 |
| Carlow House | Commercial | 74 m | 11 | 1939 |
| ANA Building | Commercial | 74 m | 9 | 1939 |
That's Built compiles information from public records, research and contributions. Details are checked against multiple sources where possible but may contain errors and aren't professional advice. Sources: City of Melbourne building permits (CC BY 4.0), CLUE building information (CC BY 4.0), CLUE business establishments (CC BY 4.0), CLUE residential dwellings (CC BY 4.0), Development Activity Monitor (CC BY 4.0), Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF) (Open G-NAF EULA (CC BY 4.0 based)). Street View and business details © Google Maps.