Apple would open its first Melbourne CBD store in the iconic public place, knocking down one of its buildings to build a new one.
Costing 50 million dollars, the store would take the space of the Yarra building, where are currently the Koorie Heritage Trust and Italian restaurant Il Pom.
Negative reactions
Even though the news is not confirmed, people are already voicing their discontentment since the initial vocation of Federation Square is hosting public organisations like museums (the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the NGV's Ian Potter Centre), a community garden and public broadcaster SBS. Restaurants, bars and a 7/11 convenience store are also in Fed Square, but there's no large retail stores.
There are worries that the new Apple store would take the space of a public organisation, as well as ruin the architecture of Fed Square, which was well thought out by Lab Architecture Studio.
Most of all, people fear that the arrival of Apple will open the door to other stores coming into the public place, that Fed Square will become just another shopping centre.
Earlier today, Christophe Mallet went to Federation Square to ask people what they thought of the potential new Apple store. Listen to their answers:
A Melbourne icon
If the architecture of Federation didn't please everybody when it opened in 2002, it has since become a true Melbourne icon, visited more than 10 millions times each year.
Favourite of both locals and tourists, it hosts many free events, including cultural festivals and concerts.
Apple, which already has three stores in shopping centres around Melbourne (Chadstone, Doncaster and Southland), has been looking to open a store in the CBD for over ten years.
Neither Apple or Federation Square has commented the news.
