Office suite has history
A SUITE of Surfers Paradise offices where real estate agent Max Christmas talked deals with major property players from around Australia and offshore is being sold.
The suite covers the top floor of La Promenade office building in Orchid Ave.
It includes a boardroom where Mr Christmas held meetings with people such as Sheraton Mirage developer the late Christopher Skase and entrepreneur the late Alan Bond.
It also was the scene for discussions with senior figures from giant Japanese company Matsushita, of National Panasonic fame, and other Japanese and Chinese groups.
Matsushita based representatives in the building for nine months as it did preparatory work on building the Royal Pines Resort at Ashmore on land bought through Mr Christmas (pictured).
The 78-year-old, long regarded as Mr Gold Coast Real Estate, and wife Liz retained ownership of the floor when he exited his Max Christmas Ltd agency in 2005.
Mr Christmas yesterday said that property was being sold as part of a reassessment of his property portfolio, which includes retail holdings in La Promenade and the adjoining Centre Arcade.
“It’s an opportune time to sell, with the take-up of office space in Surfers surging,” he said.
Steven King, of Ray White Commercial, is marketing the office suite, which is to be auctioned on November 16.
La Promenade dates back to 1980, when a Melbourne investor built a 13-floor tower with shops and 29 apartments on an Orchid Ave site.
Two years later the office building, which had two floors of offices and three of apartments, was completed.
Mr Christmas said the apartments never were occupied and in 1985 he bought the whole development from mortgagee Citibank for $6 million.
“I spent another $4 million sprucing up the shops and on furnishing the apartments.”
Some of the Christmas holdings subsequently have been sold off.
The top-floor office suite was leased to Ray White Surfers Paradise when Mr Christmas stepped back from the industry in 1985.
The Ray White lease ended last year.