December 2025 The ex-Commonwealth Bank in Bridge Road Richmond, a fine Art Deco design from 1939. It’s also a bit formal, with the steeped massing and elaborated central section. It’s got original wonderful zigzag Deco screens to each side door and above the doors, a real delight. It sits on its ownsome, I think the … Continue reading Art Deco bank, Bridge Road →

December 2025 Nice early Victorian bank on Bridge Road Richmond, and more than just a facade retained ! It was built in 1865, making it the oldest bank in Richmond, for the National Bank of Australasia. Designed by Lloyd Tayler, who did a lot of banks around this time in restrained classical modes, this one … Continue reading Classical Bank, Bridge Road →

December 2025 Just found a two fine photos of the long gone HQ for Bank of NSW, which was in Collins Street next to the Gothic Bank. Both pics are from @library_vic, and by the Mines Department, and the same but days apart. It was built in 1934-5, and designed by Godfrey & Spowers in … Continue reading Grand Deco bank →

August 2025 The nicest surviving townhouse on the (former) Paris End of Collins Street, cnr Exhibition. Actually not much info on it, just that it was built in 1867 for Dr Wilkins, Oculist, and occupied by Drs until 1959 when it became a Commonwealth Bank. I couldn’t even find old photos of it, except 1978, … Continue reading Townhouse, Paris End →

Dec 2025 An unusual and rather jolly I think block of flats in Horsburgh Grove Armadale that looks rather 50s but dates from 1940. Called Glenunga, it was one of a bunch of wildly modernist designs by Frederick Romberg, a German who had studied in Switzerland and fled the politics back home, arriving in Melbourne … Continue reading Early modernism in Malvern →

December 2025 Katanga, on the corner of Glenferrie and Hamilton Roads, Malvern. It was the last house designed by Harold Desbrowe Annear, built 1931-33 for solicitor Wesley Ince. It’s a curious design, similar to his other boxy Toorak houses, all with a porch or porte-cochere, but there’s more going on with this one. Lots of … Continue reading Katanga, Malvern →

November 2025 Rather nice Edwardian spotted in Munro Street Armadale, with excellent layered gables, shingled walls, and diagonal projecting circular bay/porch, and lovely interiors - I thought must be by one of leaders in the style like Ussher & Kemp, but turns out to be 1914, by Arthur Purnell, who had a very long and … Continue reading Shameen, Arthur Purnell →

September 2025 Rather clunky weird building on Chapel Street that has housed the Bazaar for many years - but did I read something about it closing ? (Answer is no). I sort of like the entry roundedness. Anyway, it was built c1973, and before that it had been Empress Theatre which opened in 1913, closed … Continue reading Chapel Street bizarre →

November 2025 A bunch of interesting houses all 1880s-1900s, all in one block of Albert Park, starting with the turreted house on the corner of Canterbury and Kerferd, note remnant tuckpointing. Then that house along Canterbury with the dummies and good polychrome brick, then some Gothic flavoured cast iron, and a fine villa with stripes … Continue reading Albert Park corner →

November 2025 Been trying to wrap my head around the new zoning and heights at dozens of activity centres around Melbourne, with 20 of them released a couple of months ago – so Im looking at Camberwell Junction, where the zoning was applied in March this year, and there’s a couple of new projects approved … Continue reading New Activity Centre Zoning →