August 2026 Maybe James Aiken, the owner of this place in Albert Road South Melbourne, said to his architect in 1890 - Splendid, but can I have a bit more verandah ? In fact I want it to be like that nice house over in St Vincent Place please (pic 8), but …. extra. The … Continue reading Balcony extra →

August 2026 I think if this was in Bourke or Collins we’d all be swooning over it, wanting to stay there, but no, it’s at the dag end of Flinders Street behind a big tree, so you just don’t see it. But the ex-Markillie’s Hotel is great ! It’s a quite an elaborate front, most … Continue reading Markillie’s →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →