23 September 2015

Obligatory shot of the Beswicke Building in #brunswickstreet, 1888. Always thought that was just the #buildingname but actually thats the name of the #architect, John Beswicke, so it’s one of the few buildings named after its designer in Melb. Just read a book on his work by a descendant and he did lots and lots of houses and shops, and some town halls; many are just typical of the period, except this one, which is particularly elaborate #polychromebrick overlaid with #classicaldetails, with a little corner turret and another stubby one in the middle. He did two more similar sets in auburn rd hawthorn but this is more impressive. This seems to have been built as shops with offices above rather than homes for the shopkeepers, with a corridor upstairs running the length of the building, though I think there’s flats there now. It was built for the Australian Property & Investment Co, who also built the long demolished 12 storey Australian Building aka API/APA building in Elizabeth Street which Beswicke had a hand in too. It’s lost the verandahs, and the balustrade and pediments but not the towers thankfully. And of course it’s home to the Black Cat, since 1982, that’s 42 years now, jeez, I remember how exciting it was ……

26 November 2014:

The Max, #brunswickstreet, 1999, late #postmodernism I guess. I’ve always liked it, even or especially the feature corner tower. By @rothelowman who are now doing so many mid and highrise apartments. Seems charmingly well scaled and #contextual compared to all the busy boxy new stuff going up now.

Update : much more charming! Though it is surprisingly big, with three separate blocks and courtyards, and possibly no lift, with the entry floor is above carparking up some stairs. Before this us was the Glo-Weave factory, which I vaguely remember, and which had a petrol station built in. The @library_vic photo looks mid 60s. Before that it was a big shed/venue, which had various uses, and started out as the Fitzroy Stadium (for boxing) from 1930-39 (I think), image from Fitzroy Library. It was in turn probably made out of an early cinema, the Liberty, which seems to have started in 1919. And before that … there was an ‘exhibition hall’ 1890-2, seems a short lived venture…and before that it was the Exhibition Skating Rink opened in 1887. Phew.

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