Big ads on city buildings are nothing new, these #paintedsigns from the 1890s were on the side of a five storey Victorian bldg with a #mansardroof that was once next to the Nicholas Building in Swanston Street. A bit less sophisticated that modern ads – the spirit of #DawsonsWhiskey was literally an #angel! Popping out of the bottle like a #genie. The building was replaced with a lower one in the 1930s, now demolished for the metro tunnel, but from the 40s signs appeared on the much bigger side wall of the Nicholas Building, reaching a peak in the 70s, including a long lived Coke sign, now there’s nothing due to council policies.
Update : the whole wall will be hidden behind the awful bulky boring box of offices that’s going up above the station entrance, though there’ll be a 6m gap between. Also, the building was supposedly sold in 2022, but not sure it’s gone through? First two photos from ‘Melbourne’s Yesterdays’ published in 1976, and possibly originally from @historyvictoria, others a state library, Facebook or streetview.
Storey of Melbourne 