May 2026
Nine years ago today – the 1926 Princess Mary Club next to the Wesley Church in Lonsdale Street was demolished to make way for an office tower.
It was very much a long game played by the church – they closed the club, built as a hostel for working women, in 1990 with plans for an income producing office tower. So it sat unused and not maintained for 27 years, it even had netting around it because bits were falling off.
It wasn’t an architectural marvel, in fact more of a plain box with some Tudor detailing to the front entrance and Gothic arches on the side, but it was far more sympathetic to the church than the curvy glassy thing that got built. It wouldn’t have been hard to preserve the front section, with the tower set back above. And don’t get me started on how it just hovers right over the manse….
Dem pics by @tristan_davies from our days in @melbourne_heritage_action.
Storey of Melbourne 
I remember taking photos of the building when the demolition prospect became known. While it was very shabby, I think it should have been kept. Generally I think there should be a total ban of demolition of Victorian buildings within the Hoddle grid.
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