It is one of the most prominent landmarks in Canberra, visited by tourists from around the country each year.
But there are fresh calls for a major makeover of Black Mountain's Telstra Tower.
''It's so disappointing, it's an icon, it's on a lot of the marketing that Visit Canberra do, and it's been let go, to the point where it's an absolute disgrace and an embarrassment, quite frankly, to Canberra and to Telstra,'' David Marshall from the peak tourism industry body, Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum, said.
The tower, which is owned by the telecommunication giant Telstra, rises 195 metres above the summit of Black Mountain.
The revolving restaurant inside the tower closed in 2013 and eight years on the space is still vacant.
The gift shop is shuttered and the coffee shop is a kiosk.
''It's been there for 40 years and I don't think Telstra has spent much money on the refurbishment for it for many, many years," Mr Marshall said.
He said there would need to be millions of dollars invested into improving the building.
''They should certainly get the restaurant back up and running, they have a museum on the ground floor which is excellent, but it's so old now, it needs a complete refurbishment ... but certainly it would be worth the investment, and particularly as it's an icon in Canberra it would fantastic for Telstra to do that.," he said.
In 2019, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr asked Canberrans what activities they would like to see at Telstra Tower.
Residents offered up some creative suggestions, such as pop-up markets, a zip line to the car park, a live music venue, an event or art space and the reopening of the revolving restaurant.
But with Canberra battling bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign to rejuvenate Telstra Tower was put on hold.
Now, Mr Barr is putting it back on the agenda. He said he would meet with Telstra executives later this year to push for the redevelopment of the tired tower.
''I think there's potential working with Telstra and some entrepreneurs to be able to reactivate that space in a way that would see more locals visit, and more tourists. So there's a lot of opportunities there.
''We're really looking for some interesting ideas to emerge from the tourism sector, from the hospitality sector, possibly from the retail sector as well.'
''I think the space can be re-imagined and it would be great to see it happen."
Telstra declined the ABC's request for an interview, but in a statement said:
''The Telstra Tower is an iconic building which is close to the hearts of many Canberrans, and indeed Telstra.
"We will continue to engage openly with the community and government where appropriate to assess any future proposals and work.''
