The Apple Store That Never Was - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

The Apple Store That Never Was

In 2019, Apple canceled plans to open a flagship store at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, due to public opposition. Specifically, many local residents were upset about Apple's plan to demolish the existing Yarra Building on the site, in order to make room for the new store. The local heritage authority Heritage Victoria ultimately decided that the building could not be torn down due to its cultural significance.

Apple Federation Square 1
Six years later, graphic designer Filip Chudzinski has envisioned what Apple Federation Square could have looked like, based on a design proposal by architectural firm Foster + Partners. Given the proposal is now outdated, Chudzinski added in some modern touches, such as an Apple Pickup station for customers to collect online orders.

Chudzinski created more than two dozen beautiful 3D renders of the Apple Federation Square store that never was, offering a closer look at its multi-level pavilion design. The impressive store would have overlooked the nearby Yarra River.

Apple Federation Square 2Apple Federation Square 3Apple Federation Square 4Apple Federation Square 6Apple Federation Square 5
Chudzinski has an Instagram account dedicated to Apple retail. He also created the Bandbreite app, which catalogs Apple Watch bands.

Popular Stories

Apple Passeig de Gracia

Apple's Beautiful Barcelona Store Reopens With Pickup Station and More

Tuesday May 26, 2026 12:10 pm PDT by
Apple's beautiful Passeig de Gràcia store in the heart of Barcelona reopened today, after being closed for around three months for renovations. According to the Spanish blog Applesfera, the store's large video wall has been replaced with a dedicated Apple Pickup station for online orders. The indoor trees and wood cube seats that surrounded the screen have also been removed. With these...
Apple Towson Town Center

Apple is Permanently Closing Three U.S. Stores This Month

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:28 pm PDT by
Apple will be permanently closing three of its retail stores in the U.S. on the evening of Saturday, June 20, according to its website. Apple Towson Town Center The locations that are closing: Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut Apple North County in Escondido, California Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, Maryland In April, Apple said it made the "difficult decision" to close...
Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...

Top Rated Comments

canadianreader Avatar
16 months ago

MacRumors content image
What an ugly building when I read the article I was like yeah it's good they're fighting to preserve historical buildings but never thought it would be this ugly
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
16 months ago

really, is this guy bored? why do we care about this?
Hobby
noun
- an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago

Are you a member of that community? If not, it’s not really your call to make.
Watch out! Opinion Police Alert 👮🚨
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
awshucks Avatar
16 months ago

What does the Yarra building look like though? Without seeing photos of it, I don't think we can judge whether or not preserving it was a good call?
MacRumors content image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
Melbournian here.

Fed square is such a **** spot to put it anyway.

They should've put it in the GPO building; which is now a H&M
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
I’m a Melbourne, Australia resident. It would’ve been so cool to have an Apple Store in this location. Such a shame it didn’t come to fruition. We still don’t have a flagship Apple Store in our city centre.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)