When developers Errol Stewart and Scott Curran jumped the C. H. Smith site fence to take a look at what they'd just spent millions of dollars on, they looked at each other and said "it's OK".
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The pair were on a floor that had been open to the elements for a couple of decades. For all they knew the building could have fallen over at any second.
This is just one of things The Examiner's subscribers learned on a behind the scenes tour of the site on Saturday.
"There were four homeless people here that day. Two offered Errol lunch, and the other two ... well I can't describe what they were doing. They were busy," Mr Curran told the subscribers.
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Mr Stewart and Mr Curran's dream was to retain as much of the original site as they could, and add to it. It was this focus that got approval for the project, Mr Curran said.
"Everybody else came in and saw no value in these buildings and all their schemes were about just keeping the facade, knocking everything else down and building at the back," he said.
"There was a lot of floor area there ... So if they demolished that and build new there is $5 million dollars worth of buildings that are there and everyone else decided they were going to pull down.
"We've refurbished them keeping as much as what we can in tact ... Other developers have missed an opportunity."
In some parts, the carpet and the ceiling is used to show where walls used to be in the original building.
Paintings have been used to show the difference between the old and the new. The old sign on the corner of Cimitiere and Charles streets has been partly painted to show what the sign looked like.
About 60 subscribers attended the tour and were able to access the inside knowledge of Mr Curran, Fairbrother staff and architects.
Subscribers said the tour was absolutely phenomenal and very interesting.
"It was fascinating to see how the building has been wonderfully interpreted, but with modern purpose in mind. Thanks for having the gumption to do this Errol Stewart," Janine Healey said.
Group managing editor Mark Baker said The Examiner planned to offer more exclusives like this to subscribers. Subscriptions are available from $3.75 and offers full access to Northern Tasmania's latest news.
Journalist at The Examiner Newspaper
Journalist at The Examiner Newspaper
