Postmodern St Kilda Road

There’s quite a lot of Postmodern office buildings in St Kilda Road, built early 80s to late 90s, some I really like others not so exciting.

3 August 2021

Can’t get more 80s #postmodern. 476 #StKildaRoad. Uber cool blue glass, baby blue framing and that polished granite with pearlescent bits that was so popular then. Untouched, and hardly a sign of age. Future heritage. Could be @aboutsjb or @bharchitects who both did quite a few blocks here in the 80s. Update : it is or was called Leopold House, by Bruce Henderson, no date though.

Another of the many Postmodern office blocks built in#StKildaRoad, 1985-91, this one really more #latemodern, which is defined by slick, taut #curtainwalls. Simple but effective, two shades of striped #mirrorglass wrapping round a corner, complete with some #publicart by Japanese Australian #AkioMakigawa. Originally the Dunn&Bradstreet building, but don’t know date or architect. Unfortunate new entry canopy, I mean why not at least a slim profile ?

This is one of my fave #postmodern offices on St Kilda Road, though it’s not as dynamic as originally, since they painted the 45* grid / entry slice structure from blue to black, it’s now almost invisible. They also added an unnecessary thick canopy. I also like the chunk taken out of the top corner, replaced by a grid. No idea of architect or exact date.

The Armstrong Jones building on #StKildaRoad, by Synman Justin Bialek, 1984-5, one of about 13 Postmodern office blocks there; always liked the barrel-vault up top, originally a tennis court for stressed executives, now childcare.

Another St Kilda Road postmodern office block, by Peddle Thorpe & Learmonth, 1989-90, originally called Digital- a company that made #minicomputers, made redundant by desktop PCs. Eventually absorbed into HP. Typical 80s elements, blue mirror glass, a bow front, and squares subdivided by lots of criss-cross window frames – curiously there’s a column in the centre! Guess the spacing just worked out that way ? It also looks like it’s got shoulder pads 😁

St Kilda Road such a trove of these things, which I realise are different from the city pomo towers – they were all big name architects, and not so cheesy, or should I say fun, these one employing cut off corners, bow fronts, stripes, mirror glass, gables and clocks, and they are more 3D since they’re free standing.

Another #stkildaroadpomo office block – so 80s – mirror #smokedglass. And a couple of zippy sculptures called ‘the performers’ by Anthony Pryor. And polished brown granite. And another case of a central column, with an off-centre entry behind. It’s by @aboutsjb (Synman Justin Bialek), not sure of date, but I’m pretty sure I went here to get my US Visa in 1984? It’s a fine mirror box, but seems to be stained by the joints decaying, and it’s not my favourite of the 14 pomo office blocks here. First pic 2024, others 2021

Repost 16 July 2018:

Sad to learn that the most mirrored of the 1980s #mirrorglass #officeblocks of them all, on at 420 St Kilda Road, opp Toorak Rd, was sold last year for $68mill (!!) no doubt to be replaced by apartments- this block has a #heightlimit of 85m, that’s about 28 floors.

2021 update : it was refurbed and sold in 2019 for $98 mill (!!!) to ‘overseas buyers’; wonder if they paid too much in hindsight? November 2023 : yea they did ! Up for sale for $83 mill. The buyers were the Kong Kong based Mars Group. Some nice pics after my two :

21 August 2013:

Originally Norwich House, found a 1989 article – it was built 1990, designed by Godfrey Spowers, for the eponymous insurance company, which was absorbed into the NAB in 2013. It’s a bit stolid, in beige precast, with a kind of huge bay window on top. Nice sculptures out front, by Akio Makigawa, and a surprisingly big atrium. A double block makes for big floor plates. Sold to a Chinese investor in 2018 for … $163 mill.

16 February 2024

A bit of St Kilda Road pomo maybe not long for this world. It’s got a lot going on – a fun clock tower which is actually the lift tower, with a glass front, lots of angles picking up on the angled site, and a zig zag sticking out entry thing next to the preserved Gas Valve House. Dull serried square windows in precast panels not so fun. Don’t know architect, but built by Lend Lease in 1988 (Age article may 1988). The Cancer Council had been there for 10 years and sold up in 2022, and the only heights limit is the Shrine Vista, allows something pretty tall at this end. Photos from oct, 1st one real estate ad.

17 February 2024

Another bit of St Kilda Rd pomo, the ex Fujitsu HQ at 607 St Kilda Road. A simple idea boldly done, one huge inset glass walled square arch, stepping back into the building, and of course grids everywhere. Judith Buckrich in her St Kilda Rd book says it’s 1987, designed by Bruce Henderson.

13 December 2024

Another of the 14 or so Postmodern office blocks that line St Kilda Road, no 549 isn’t terribly exciting, but I include it because I’m photographing them all. Built in 1987, it was designed by @bharchitects, with then typical polished granite and mirror glass. The only bit of flair is that the stone ‘frame’ is cut through on one side, a postmodern trope of expectation and denial, with the idea repeated round the entry. It still looks rather sharp and clean. Pic 2 was Aug 2019.

4 June 2025

I’m such a fan of 80s mirror glass, I guess it’s just so extreme, this one on St Kilda Road, cnr Dorcas Street in particular- it’s quite sheer, curved corners, a cut out entry, and it’s kind of wedge shaped to boot. But not quite as extreme as the square one further town the road.