Original post 31 March 2020
Casa Milano in #GreyStreetStKilda is such a simple bit of Art Deco it ends up being almost Modernist. Apparently it’s the rebuilding of a two storey Victorian shop, once exactly the same as next door. Designed by #RayJohnsonArchitect, it was built in 1933. I always thought that the timber framed windows were a later filling in of balconies, since more typically #steelframedwindows, but found a photo from 1998 showing they were indeed steel. Another change before then was adding the top floor #penthouse. That plus the new tall thing next door means it’s not so prominent as it used to be, but charmingly #shabbychic, and still a fave.
Just after I photographed it, they painted it ! Updated photo 15 May. Looks schmick now, though the peeling paint revealed its actually ochre render under the white paint, but they just painted it white again. I now think that given the angular flat roof and the render above the bottom window, it was probably open balconies originally.
Entry to the flats is through a rather narrow side passage :
New photos 2024 – the power line danger tape is gone, but the for lease sign still there, shop still empty, and the verandah is looking decrepit.
From @mileshstandish on my Insta : Wow! I lived in the top flat before the owner built the penthouse on top in 1998. My flat was a completely charming garret and a fun place to live. My 6yo son learnt to rollerblade on the roof terrace. The shared wall with the Sunset Strip and its 5am licence was not so great. A lot of Portishead was played to try and distract from the noise. The regular pool of vomit at the street level door was also a challenge 😂
Storey of Melbourne 