October 2026
This unassuming little building in #HardwareLane is actually one of the first examples of #ArtDeco in Melbs, dating from Sept 1930 (only Coles Bourke is earlier, March 1930).
Cyclone House was built as the HQ and showroom for the cyclone wire company, who made the eponymous mesh fencing and other wire products, at a time when the precinct still had a concentration of hardware merchants (hence the name of the street, itself only created in 1927).
It was designed by #ArthurPurnell, Round and Graham – Purnell had a long and interesting career, and was sometimes ahead of the pack, as here.
The gorgeous elaborate panels are very much from the decorative stream of Art Deco, in this case on a simple formal facade that includes extra space in a pair of projecting window bays. The design had a lift that went to the roof, so it had a little tower (which you can see from the carpark across the road), but I guess wasn’t built like the drawing. Inside there’s nice fluted columns/beams, and a stair with a nice geometric railing. I’ve got photos showing there was more decorative plasterwork in 2012, maybe that was down the back, now behind a wall.
Cyclone didn’t stay here long, departing in 1935, when the ABC took up the lease, staying till the 70s. Later it housed outdoor stores when they concentrated round here, eg Helly Hansen. It sold in 2017 for $6.7mill, but fortunately it was #heritagelisted in 2018 as part of the Hardware/Little Bourke precinct, AND there’s a 15m height limit.
It then became Study Melbourne Hub, a State Government service for international students, with lots of new fit out, but the beams and stairs remain intact. Also note the spindly tree from 2019 now replaced.
