Repost 2017: Mandeville Hall, Toorak, originally Athelstan, important for the double #bowfront section of very big rooms, designed by #CharlesWebb, added in 1876 to the front of an earlier house. But it’s most important for the lavish and original interior decoration from the same date, by London firm #GillowAndCo, in rich late Victorian colours and … Continue reading Mandeville Hall, Charles Webb and Gillow & Co. →

An interesting block on Toorak Road West in South Yarra- built 1938, designed by one of my fave architects, #IGAnderson, but not quite his signature bold folded or curved volumes, a bit more domestic, and more typical Art Deco, but still plenty of curves and horizontals and verticals in feature brick- with a massive chimney, … Continue reading I G Anderson in South Yarra →

Repost 2015: Surprised to find that the area east of glenhuntly station is almost entirely 50s -70s #villaunits , the sort with a central drive, and some flats. Either not actually subdivided until then, or lots of earlier timber cottages replaced. I noticed a lots of indian inhabitants.

30 July 2018: Extraordinary glamorous 1988 house by #HolgarandHolgar at 57 #StGeorgesRoadToorak. Classical but reinterpreted through 70s curvy and diagonal transformations. The rounded curved corners of the front are rather Gaudi but the white and gold inside is a bit gaudy. Wrapped around a tennis court with an indoor pool in the rear wing and … Continue reading Holgar mansion in Toorak →

Repost this day 2018: #XavierChapel, #SchreiberandJorgenson, designed by #OleJorgensen 1925, built 1927-34. Seen this from Bakers Road since I was a kid, finally got in, thanks #MelbourneOpenHouse. This is essentially a large Baroque style church, with the 3 domes, but simplified, with a Neoclassical Ionic portico, rather huge for a school chapel. Apparently it’s had … Continue reading Xavier Chapel, Kew →

29 July 2019: Truly spectacular- #TayCreggan in #Hawthorn was open today for the first time (I think) for #openhousemelbourne2019. Designed by #GuyonPurchas (son of #AlfredPurchas) as his own house in 1891-2 but the depression hit and he had to sell it, possibly unfinished. But he came back to do alterations for the new owners in … Continue reading Tay Creggan, Hawthorn →

Repost 2018: Finally got to see inside #SacredHeartStKilda, #JosephReedArchitect; surprisingly only the front part of the nave built in 1884, the side aisles and the altar end added in 1922 (after a fire- must’ve been short and tall looking !), but reportedly completing the Reed design (certainly the sides match the front perfectly). The Reed … Continue reading Sacred Heart St Kilda →

28 July 2018: The #EsplanadeVaults: Having known there were ex-shops under the #UpperEsplanade for like 30 years, finally seen them, thanks #OpenHouseMelbourne. Built 1891 when the Esplanade was rebuilt to carry #cabletrams, these 10 shops did fine until increasing traffic on the #LowerEsplanade led to removing the verandahs in the 50s and finally bricking them … Continue reading Esplanade Vaults →

July 2021 Nice block of #ArtDecoflats in Park Street South Yarra, built 1936. Can’t find the architect, but then it’s nice rather than really interesting- great wrought iron front gate-door, though probably not original. Seems like single owner until 2014, when sold for $4.4m, though as a set of six titles. Only rented since then. … Continue reading Deco flats Park Street South Yarra →

27 July 2021, updated : Kia Ora, #StKildaRoad, one of those places you know from the tram, a big set of #ArtDecoFlats, built 1936/37 in two stages (replacing a 19thC mansion and the house next door, only 12 years old). Designed by Lewis Levy in a smart streamlined mode, but most interestingly, the 60 flats … Continue reading Kia Ora, St Kilda Road →