The building, located at 340 Gore Street, is a New York style office suite in the heart of vibrant Fitzroy.
Situated close to Brunswick Street and Smith Street, the 8 open-plan office units boast lofty ceilings, polished timber floorboards, excellent natural light, heating and cooling, and communal use of a large rooftop terrace.
But this was not always the case.
Originally, it was part of the MacRobertson’s factory. The original factory sites spanned five city blocks. The empire employed about twelve hundred people and it manufactured chocolate and sugar confectionary such as Old Gold, Cherry Ripe, and Freddo Frog.
MacRobertson was a very benevolent employer and he was a great supporter of the eight-hour-day. There was no retirement age so they worked while they were physically capable of working.
He died in 1945. His two sons, Norman and Eric, took over the running of the business.
340 Gore was where they stored the cocoa beans, which came in mainly from West Africa.
Around the corner was the warehouse where every morning about twenty-five trucks would pull up. On the back of the orange delivery trucks was painted a big Freddo Frog, and when you opened the door it looked like Freddo Frog was waving at you!
The building opposite, at 369 Gore Street, was the garage. MacRobertson was renowned for the love of his cars. Between Norman and Eric, they had nine cars including a couple of Rolls Royces and a beautiful big Bentley.
Old fashioned values and nostalgia seep from the building, making it the perfect working venue for small business.