June 2026, repost 2016, new pics :

The Postal Hall of the Melbourne GPO is a very grand public space converted to retail, which seems such a waste. The very fine restrained classical architecture is also sort of blanked out by painting everything bright white, and having multiple light sources. It’s now #H&M, and really popular.

The Postal Hall was completed in 1867, designed by #AEJohnson within the Public Works Department, and was originally the sorting hall, lit by a roof that was installed be huge skylight, a rather nice thing for the workers. The public access was via tellers at the many external windows, an arrangement reversed in 1919. Walter Burley Griffin did a design for that, but they didn’t use it. With corporatisation, Aus Post closed it like most other old post offices and moved to ordinary shopfronts (many now closed too), though they retained ownership of the flagship buildings, closing ours in 2000. It was just about to be turned into a high end mall when there was a devastating fire, fortunately covered by insurance. So it was fully repaired for the ‘GPO’ thing, with multiple exe designers, which didnt do well enough, so then it just became a huge H&M in 2014. At least the first reno had separate shops behind glass walls with a central area kept largely clear of displays.

The changes included an extension at the north end, in the process demolishing much of a 1908 extension, leaving only an exposed steel beam on display, which is the best bit by far. It’s still got its label ‘Dorman Long’, the British steel company that made it.

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