July 2026 This one has loads of character outside, not so much inside - it’s 182 Fitzroy Street Fitzroy. Originally a pair of narrow terraces, it was turned into a church hall in 1908 for a group called Christian Endeavour, then it was used 1946-54 by the Methodist Aboriginal Mission. I think it might have … Continue reading Better before
Spencer Street subway
August 2026 This is the old stairs off Spencer Street that went down to join the underpass under Spencer Street Station, closed since it became Southern Cross in 2006. It looks olde worlde but i think the railing is 1980s heritage style, with a City of Melbourne crest, so they probably built it round a … Continue reading Spencer Street subway
Borsari‘s Corner
23 August 2026 I always thought as old neon signs go this one was a little small and unimpressive compared to say the Skipping Girl, but now its a very rare surviving neon and the story behind it is so interesting it’s now recommended for State heritage listing (as reported in The Age yesterday). Nino … Continue reading Borsari‘s Corner
Colton Court, St Kilda
Aug 2026 St Kilda has an awful lot of nice walk-up flats, in fact along with Elwood it saw the most built in the interwar years in all of Melbourne, changing its character completely. Often higher density than other suburbs, built closer to the street, filling the block, but filled with charm like this one … Continue reading Colton Court, St Kilda
Curvy in Armadale
August 2026 I like this one ! In Sydney Street Prahran facing Orrong Park. It’s a relatively simple organic idea of flowing thin edge floor plates held apart by rounded topped columns, with just glass between, but very well done. Completed in 2022 it shows the architects Wood Marsh still being creative into their mature … Continue reading Curvy in Armadale
Groovy 40s house
August 2026 Groovy 50s house on Eildon Road St Kilda. Big rounded picture windows, thin concrete edging round the windows and on top of the parapet, varied brickwork, separate room over the pink garage, cute. Fills most of the block, so the windows are close to street, hence the dense foliage. Dont know many facts … Continue reading Groovy 40s house
St Kilda Road factory
August 2026 Saw this on Facebook and it said it was the Hoadleys Factory built in 1913 in St Kilda Road, but I’d never seen it before, where was it exactly …. turns out it burned down only 6 years later, so there’s only this one photo of it. It was a very cheery design … Continue reading St Kilda Road factory
Esmond Dorney house
August 2026 A great little Moderne house at 9 Lefevre Sandringham sadly demolished maybe 30 years ago. It was built in 1939 as the family home of J Esmond Dorney, who had been doing loads of flats around Sth Melb - Elwood - Brighton, most in a sort of Prairie style, others in his personal … Continue reading Esmond Dorney house
Rossbourne House, Hawthorn
August 2026 This grand mansion in Power Street Hawthorn looks like maybe an advanced Queens Anne design from 1890 - but no it was built 10 years later. Originally called Boonoke, it was built for Riverina pastoralist John Patterson, on a very large site, and the architects were Oakden & Ballantyne. Percy Oakden did some … Continue reading Rossbourne House, Hawthorn
Tudor school
August 2017: South Melbourne Primary School, later known as Dorcas Street, built 1880 for 1000 pupils (!), designed by #CharlesWebb in his often used brown and cream #polychromebrick, this time in a strongly #TudorRevival style. One of the few schools with original windows, because they were tall square headed ones, rather than narrow Gothic ones. … Continue reading Tudor school









