9 September 2024
The ex Rechabite Hall off Chapel Street Prahran packs a punch on a small scale – built 1889 at the height of the boom, it’s location facing down a side street makes it stand out, not to mention the elaborate facade and mansarded tower (and any flanking buildings also long gone). Designed by Colin Campbell (who I’ve never heard of), it’s one of the few halls they built apparently, but it was only one of a number of temperance societies. This one was spearheaded by James Munro, set to become Premier in 1890 promising to fix the looming crash, only to find his own investments crashing too. It was added to the VHR in 1984 (old photo from them), and since then been sympathetically added to on the south side. It’s now sitting alone but probably had cottages around it. It was sold in 2021, so there’s some interior shots; the hall upstairs is intact including the painted ceiling, but probably repainted since the 80s.
Storey of Melbourne 