15 August 2018

The lovely slightly exotic #TheosophicalBuilding, #MarshandMichaelson, 1936, beautiful stone facade, with Egyptian style columns, a bit patchy though. The Theosphists, a kind of esoteric religion, sold up in c1970, when the @CityofMelbourne bought it along with the Regent planning to replace both with a high rise hotel to help pay for the #CitySquare then underway. What a mess. They eventually sold, and it became apartments in 2000, imaginatively named ‘Regent 187 on Collins’. Some lucky owner has a huge open plan apartment occupying the old lecture hall, seems pretty intact comparing photos from 1936 (probably) and the r e photo I found. Also in c2000 Council gave Ralph Lauren a permit to replace the original shopfront and awning with the current smaller version – that’s new stone at ground level. Pity not to have the original but it’s quite sympathetic. The shopfront itself replaced again in 2013. The entry lobby also looks original. And yes up top is a symbol with both Star of David and a Swastika, adopted when it was more famously ancient Indian than you know what. The Theosophists moved to Russell Street to a less interesting 1920s building (last pic) itself demolished a couple of years ago. Old photos @library_vic

Repost from 2014:

This is actually from last winter !

The Theosophical Society, 1937, Marsh and Michaelson. Suitably exotic for an esoteric organisation – #egyptianrevival style columns and a star of david on top. Actually, it’s ‘…the Sanskrit symbol Om above the whirling cross, and then the ouroboros surrounding an hexagram or David’s star with the Ankh or cross ansata inside.’

Don’t know what was going on at ground level in 2013, it had a nice shopfront built for Ralph Loren in about 2000, replaced by one for Balenciaga in 2019. And I remember the original simpler one, which was the Spaghetti Tree for ages.

The upper floors were converted to flats c2000 so someone now living in the Theosophists meeting room and library, and there’s a very nice lobby.

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