Post-completion
When the tower was first built in 1975, an "iconic" commissioned sculpture by Howard Taylor was installed in its forecourt. The sculpture, entitled "The Black Stump", was constructed of concrete and mosaic tile and weighed more than 28 tonnes (62,000 lb). It was relocated to the University of Western Australia in 1990, where it has remained beside the Octagon Theatre ever since.
The building was used by AMP as its state headquarters from its opening in 1975 until 2002 when most of its staff moved to West Perth offices. The last AMP staff shifted out of the building in 2003.
Since 1997, the tower has been used as a launching pad for some shells in the annual Lotterywest Skyworks fireworks display.
Owned by AMP companies since 1915, the building was put on the market by owner AMP Asset Management in 2000 and was expected to fetch A$80 million. A Perth-based syndicate headed by Brett Wilkins offered to buy the tower for between $75 and 80 million. However, the property failed to sell, and remained within AMP ownership. In August 2005, the building was sold by AMP Life Statutory Fund No 1 to the AMP-managed Australian Core Property Portfolio for $153.5 million.
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