AC/DC house demolished – contractor had no idea

For AC/DC fans, 4 Burleigh Street in the Sydney suburb of Burwood was a place of pilgrimage. Every year many people visited the place to see where the formation of the iconic rock band took place. But that now comes to an abrupt end.

The family home in which brothers Malcolm and Angus Young lived as teenagers has now been demolished, Australian media reports. The responsible construction company, Burwood Square, apparently acted in error. Despite careful examination of the location, the cultural significance of the house was not known, explained the managing director, Leon Kamita, to the Australian broadcaster Nine News.

“Unfortunately, the historical connection to AC/DC could not be recognized at this time and we regret that the previous long-time owner did not share this important part of the property’s history with us,” said Kamita, who also apologized to the band’s fans : “We now realize how much this venue resonates with the AC/DC community and fans worldwide.” However, this realization comes too late.

According to the Herald Sun newspaper, the house was added to a list of historically significant buildings in 2013. Despite being included in Australia’s National Trust Register, it was not given heritage protection, which would have prevented demolition, reports CNN.

Ten years later, construction company Burwood Square bought the house and an adjacent plot of land to build apartment buildings on the site. Apparently it was destroyed as part of this work. The company is now trying to limit the damage. Managing director Kmita says his team is working to recover materials from the site. The aim is to create a “special place” where fans can “come together to celebrate the band’s lasting legacy” – such as a café or a bar.

After Malcolm and Angus Young were born in Scotland in the 1950s, the family emigrated to Australia in 1963. In 1965 they moved to the infamous house at 4 Burleigh Street. There the brothers founded AC/DC in 1973.