Newcastle's skyline has officially reached new heights.
Property developer DOMA Group has topped out The Store project on Hunter Street in Newcastle West, making it the tallest building in the city.
The residential and mixed-use development comprises two towers, with one spanning 29 levels and the other 27 levels above a three-storey podium.
The $250 million project is expected to be completed in early 2027.
DOMA Group marked the topping out milestone at a ceremony on Friday attended by Newcastle lord mayor Gavin Morris.
"The Store has always belonged to Newcastle," Cr Morris said.
"It began in 1898 with coal miners pooling what little they had, and at its peak 98,000 Novocastrians were members - this was their store, and plenty of families still talk about the divvy.
"To watch the site rise again as the tallest residential towers in the city is the west end coming back to life."
The Store will include 352 luxury apartments, 3500 square metres of commercial ground-floor retail and podium office space, and one acre of amenities including a 25-metre swimming pool, full-sized tennis court, playground and outdoor dining and landscaped areas.
The Store forms part of a decade-long, three-staged partnership with the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) to transform Newcastle's West End.
The redevelopment of the site was initiated after the NSW government bought The Store in 2015 and awarded a tender to DOMA for its redevelopment in 2018.
The Store project at 854 Hunter Street was granted approval in 2022 and delivers the fourth and final stage of the redevelopment of the former co-operative store site.
"With The Store, we wanted to honour a site that has been part of Newcastle's story since 1898 as the original Newcastle and Suburban Co-operative Society building, while creating something that responds to the city's future," DOMA development director Chris Farrington said.
"The Store is a significant investment in Newcastle and is part of a broader story of transformation underway across the city.
"We're proud to be delivering a development that brings new homes, commercial space and high-quality amenity to the West End, while respecting the history and character of the site."
The Store is now Newcastle's tallest building and the tallest development in DOMA's national portfolio.
In May, the Canberra-based developer was appointed to lead the final stage of the $1.6 billion Honeysuckle transformation on Newcastle Harbour.
The three-hectare mixed-use Honeysuckle HQ precinct will include 1000 homes, a luxury hotel, and a conference centre on the western edge of the waterfront.
DOMA Group was selected to deliver the redevelopment after a national search by the HCCDC.
The master plan includes commercial and retail space designed to accommodate 4000 workers, alongside a 180-room hotel with a restaurant and bar and a 500-seat conference and events centre.
The project will also include the adaptive reuse and integration of the heritage-listed former Wickham School of Arts building.
