Repost 2019:

Looming up behind the #SwanstonStreet shops at Little Lon is this beast, in Drewery Lane, a landmark related to cigarettes, concrete, and Melbs Jewish history to boot. Built in 1910 as another part of the #SnidersAndAbraham Tobacco empire, where they already had two others next to this one.

Built using the Turner ‘Mushroom’ conc system, named cos it involved thin slabs and big octagonal mushroom-head columns. Designer was Hugh Ralston Crawford, who gave it a flourish with those Celtic /Art Nouveu capitals. The top floors were added in 1938, and another added in 1995 when it was an early residential conversion. I knew about it early and was tempted, but glad I didn’t buy one cos they were (then) overpriced, and I’m sure the city is even more noisy than it was in the late 90s.

2021 update : the apartments actually look great, though the columns are all only partly visible, but the whole, very high, ceiling is; they’re especially good compared to all the minimum size cbd high rise apartments.

May 2026

Drewery Lane in the city runs off Lonsdale Street and it’s rather nice – somehow despite the narrowness it’s got trees!

There’s two ex-warehouses within the block that rather uniquely both have lanes on three sides, and both built for Sniders & Abrahams tobacco empire. The first was built as a cigar factory in 1890, and designed by Nahum Barnet, who clearly had an in with Jewish clients since he also did a tobacco warehouse for Mark Moss in A’Beckett Street the same year, also in red brick, pic 5.

The other warehouse was built in 1910, using then-new reinforced concrete with ‘mushroom’ column heads inside, and interesting sort of Celtic capitals outside. It was designed by Hugh Crawford, and the top two floors were added in 1938 – you used to be able to see it from the state library steps, but …trees.

The address sounds like London’s Drury Lane, but different spelling, it was named after a city councillor in the 1850s. There was a long queue for …Little Rogue ? Pic 2 is Mark Strizic, probably 1960s.

Update : reddit users tell me the writhing attenuated figures of the sculpture are probably Baucis and Philemon, an Ancient Greek legend couple who were nice to the gods and got turned into trees when they died as a reward. It was probably put up in 2006, when Baroq house bar/nightclub opened, all antique style, then renovated 10 years ago ? now it’s a marble bronze luxe corporate function space. The upper floors are offices.

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