29 June 2023:

Some long ago, and very short lived, lost Melbourne – the Oriental Bank on the south east corner of Collins & Queen was built in 1882, ‘a pleasing contrast to the more ornate architecture’ of other banks in Collins Street, with simple lines and blank walls, designed by FM White. But bad loans by the parent company led to its collapse only 2 years later in 1884. Then the building itself was replaced when it was only 8 years old by a nine storey block in 1890 for speculator Wilhelm Prell, showing how property prices and development soared in the land boom of the 1880s. That replacement was made plainer in 1928, and finally demolished in the late 60s. The Oriental Bank had earlier been in a Greek temple style premises just round the corner in Queen Street, built 1858, which was also replaced by another 9 storey building for Prell in 1890. And a sketch of the design from 1881 says Prell was the ‘proprietor’, possibly he already owned the site.

Just came across the 1865 National Provincial Bank in Threadneedle Street, London – looks like a definite influence :

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