Original post 16 January 2018;
Buxtons, also known as the #TalmaBuilding, #SwanstonStreet, opposite the Town Hall, #WSLaw, 1885. Having just found the old sketch (thanks #NGVmelbourne) I can see the ornate verandah rebuilt in the 1980s isn’t half as ornate as the original 1880s one ! You can also see how it went from being almost freestanding to being squeezed in by later buildings. WS Law is one of my fave architects, since he liked quite elaborate designs, in what we call High Victorian eclectic, combining Renaissance and Mannerist details (as well as a French 2nd Empire mansard roof), but at the time it was just called Modern Renaissance. Buxton’s was an ‘artistic stationary company’, with a gallery, where the famous #9×5 exhibition by the #HeidelbergSchool artists took place in 1889. They must have been greatly affected by the 1890s crash, because in 1895 the Talma photographic studios took over.
A FB follower provided these photos, and the info that in 1924, Talma renovated the building, creating a spacious studio in the top rear, with skylight. It’s now an apartment.
Storey of Melbourne 