27 March 2014:
What was Le Louvre, exclusive dress shop, by #appointmentonly ! Run by mother then daughter for 70 years. Bought by #officetower developer, going to be part of #popup by the looks. Probably with big hole in side wall where matching terraces dem in the 70s. Built #1855, copper #shopfront 1927 and facade georgianised in the 1950s.
26 March 2022:
So finally got to see for myself what’s left of the former Le Louve boutique – though it looks fine, the only original thing is the 1920s shopfront.
Still can’t quite believe this happened: The former exclusive salon Le Louvre in Collins Street was reduced to a facade. I’m told that they had 3 engineers to say it was unsafe, ie the rubble stone side wall wouldn’t hold up the high end shop they wanted to put there, but then the rear wing was brick, and that went too. The @cityofmelbourne couldn’t afford an independent engineer, and the Ministry of Planning, who was really in charge, didn’t care too much. All this was decided behind closed doors, very frustrating. I see way back in 2012 I was afraid this would happen, the plans were always pretty vague.
The new side wall is decidedly contemporary, no connection with the facade any more (and it was never a laneway originally). The interior is of course all open, where once was an elegant 50s stair, and a courtyard between the front and rear wings. AND when the scaffolding came down, they’d heavily restored the upper facade to a previous look, so pretty much only the shopfront is intact.
It was originally built as a townhouse in 1855, converted to a shop in 1927, all lovely copper. From 1934 it was occupied by Lillian Wightman as an exclusive dress shop with a fancy French name, which she ran like an atelier, by appointment only, with a team of dressmakers upstairs. She Georgianised the facade in 1956 to make it more ‘refined’, but with a curly lettered sign, and gilt mirrors and leopard skin rugs inside. She famously refused to sell up for Nauru House on the 70s, but they demolished Oggs next door, so the shop ended up with a wonky exposed side wall. Her daughter Georgina Weir took over the business in the 80s, then in 2010 finally sold up with a giant tower set to loom next door and above, moving to South Yarra. So now there’s nothing left of that 85 year occupation, but hey, now it looks like it did the in the previous 20 years, more or less. 😬 2nd last pic is early 1950s, last pic looks 1870s, found framed on a wall going to a Dr in Collins Street once.
A series of unfortunate compromises, a bit like the city as a whole.
Original post 25 Feb 2015:
The side wall of the 1855 townhouse long occupied by #lelouvre exposed by demolition for #80collins. Actually been like that since 1973, when adjacent #terracehouse demolished for #nauruhouse forecourt/ entry, but longer view now available. This house is part of the development, not sure how much they will leave unmolested.
The remains of #82collins. Not so upset about losing it, but that it will be replaced by glass boxes and a 30 storey office tower squeezed in where it will dominate whats left of the #parisend of #collinsstreet.
Storey of Melbourne 