Coop's Shot Tower

Coop's Shot Tower is a shot tower located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, Australia.[7] It was completed in 1889[1][2] and is 50 metres high. The historic building was saved from demolition in 1973 and was incorporated into Melbourne Central complex in 1991 underneath an 84 m-high conical glass roof.

Coop's Shot Tower
Coop's Shot Tower, encased by the Melbourne Central cone
General information
Coordinates37°48′37″S 144°57′47″E
Completed21 June 1889 (1889-06-21)[1][2]
Height50 metres (160 ft)[3]
Dimensions
Other dimensionsfurnace firebricks
foundations 40ft. deep
walls 3 ft. thick[4][5]
Technical details
Floor count12 landing places[6]
Design and construction
Main contractorMessrs. Fenson and Hetherington
Four people abseiling down the shot tower as part of a promotional event

Coop's Shot Tower is 9 storeys high, and has 327 steps to the top. The tower produced six tonnes of shot weekly up until 1961, when the demand for the lead shot dwindled, because of new firearm regulations. The tower was operated by the Coops family, who also managed Clifton Hill Shot Tower.[8][9]

A museum called the Shot Tower Museum has been set up inside of the tower at the back of RM Williams and DJI (D1) stores,[10] a tenant in the tower.[11] The tower has been the site of fatalities in 1903 and 1922.[12][13]

The site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[7]

References
  1. "A New Shot Tower". The Age. No. 10, 711. Victoria, Australia. 22 June 1889. p. 10. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia., ...A number of gentlemen assembled at Mr. Walter Coop's lead manufacturing works in Little Lonsdale-street yesterday afternoon to witness the ceremony of placing the last brick on a new shot tower erected...
  2. Sides, Carol (2 February 1982). "Looking at the Melbourne many people do not know". The Age. p. 20. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  3. "Wills and Bequests". Table Talk. No. 297. Victoria, Australia. 27 February 1891. p. 12. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia. ...Originally the structure was 80 feet in height, but after sundry experiments it was found insufficient for making chilled shot, so it has been increased to 154 foot,..
  4. "Making Shot". Daily Mercury. Vol. 76, no. 31. Queensland, Australia. 5 February 1942. p. 2. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia., ... It was built of furnace firebricks in conformity with the custom of British industry in the Victorian era to stand for centuries and to produce the best. The foundations are 40ft. deep, and the walls 3 ft, thick...
  5. "The Contributor. How Shot is Made". Leader. No. 1869. Victoria, Australia. 7 November 1891. p. 36. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Shot Tower Ablaze". The Herald. No. 14, 563. Victoria, Australia. 18 November 1922. p. 4. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Coop's Shot Tower and Flanking Building, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H0067, Heritage Overlay HO681". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  8. "Fire at Shot Tower". The Age. No. 21, 104. Victoria, Australia. 20 November 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia. , ...The shot tower in McIntyre-aIley, off Little Lonsdale-street, was the scene of a fire on Saturday afternoon...The tower forms portion of the premises occupied by Miss E. Coop, trading as Walter Coop, lead manufacturer,...The building and contents are insured with the Chamber of Manufactures for £10,900...
  9. "Why Is The Shot Tower?". The Herald. No. 18, 845. Victoria, Australia. 9 October 1937. p. 33. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. DJI (D1 Store)
  11. DJI - Melbourne Central
  12. "The Shot Tower Fatality". The Ballarat Star. No. 14693. Victoria, Australia. 5 June 1903. p. 6. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia., ...on the body of Frederick Lacey Burridge. who was killed at Coop’s shot tower in Lonsdale street by falling through an opening 15 feet and fracturing his skull....Evidence showed...he either fell accidentally or through a fit..
  13. "Fatalities and Accidents. Fatal Fall from Shot Tower". The Age. No. 21021. Victoria, Australia. 15 August 1922. p. 11. Retrieved 26 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia. , ...Wm. Landsey, married, aged 61 years, of Andrew-street, Northcote, fell from the first floor at the shot tower in Lonsdale-street yesterday, and was admitted to Melbourne Hospital suffering from a fractured leg and shock. He died subsequently from the injuries he received...

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