The Royal Insurance Building in Collins Street next to Temple Court opposite Market Street was built in 1938-40, in a restrained Art Deco style - but in about 1980, the stone facade was peeled off and replaced with a slick curtain wall (!). The deco building was designed by Ballantyne & Sneddon (#CedricBallantyne is best … Continue reading Reverse facadism on Collins Street →

Some #facadism from 2016, the old #HerMajestysHotel in #ToorakRoadSouthYarra. Pubs are particularly prone, being prime sites, and altered inside (but not upstairs), so only the two walls are kept, with intrusive just too big apartments popping out above - if this had been set back to the line of the top level, it would be … Continue reading Facadism in Toorak Road →

Here’s a pretty crazy one - an office tower for the corner of #LittleLonsdaleStreet and #BennettsLane, approved in 2019, is this convoluted shape so as not to overshadow the recently created green space behind the #WesleyChurch between 1 and 2pm. You’d think it wouldn’t be commercially viable, but apparently it’s ‘boutique’. There’s some rather altered … Continue reading The future of Bennett’s Lane →

Repost this day 2019: The #PresbyterianChurchSouthYarra just looks very unfinished from #PuntRoadTraffic, and it is, missing a huge spire, like so many churches, but also they stopped building 2 1/2 bays short, building 1/2 a window, very odd. Architect #LloydTayler, built 1865. That’s #BaraboolStone on the exterior, which turned out to be not very good. … Continue reading Presbyterian Church Punt Road →

This time in 2019 scored an invite to the reopening of the Capitol Theatre, the coloured prismatic extravaganza created by #WalterAndMarionGriffin in 1924, completely restored and refurbished by @rmituniversity after only being seen by students for ages and then closing completely in 2014. They installed LED lighting which can reproduce the simple original lighting effects, … Continue reading Capitol Theatre restored →

The fabulous #ESandABank, 1959, designed by their in-house architect #StuartMcIntosh, on #GlenferrieRoadMalvern, was (partly) restored early last year. The fins, which had been blue forever and surprisingly made of plywood, have been rebuilt and repainted the original white and ‘mint green’ on the underside, to go with the pink glass. The floating white cube is … Continue reading ES&A Modern in Malvern →

3 June 2018: I think of #StVincentPlace #SouthMelbourne as full of grand terraces, but there’s actually a lot of free-standing #villas and single storey ones too. It’s now extremely expensive real estate, so they’re all totally renovated, paint taken off bricks, mostly heritage colours, but the paint-everything-shades-of-grey disease also to be seen. They’ve all got … Continue reading St Vincent Place houses →

June 2018: #EsplanadeHotelStKilda, built 1878, designed by #SmithAndJohnson, as four grand terraces, which instead became a hotel, extended 1920s by #GibbsAndFinlay, when it was known as Carlyons, they had jazz out the back, 50 years later it was punk and alt live music powerhouse 80s - 90s, sold, a 35 storey tower proposed behind it … Continue reading Esplanade Hotel, aka ‘The Espy’ →

November 2025 😮 I like a bit of Brutalist Revival but I’m afraid this one in Hopetoun Road is a bit top heavy. With the timber walls a similar colour to tan bricks, it ends up looking rather like a 1970s TAFE building. And not sure but the off-form concrete seems to be in precast … Continue reading Hopetoun Road, Toorak →

In 2019 the 1890 mansion #Bundalohn, by #HyndmanAndBates, in Tennyson Street St Kilda was revealed from behind an ugly 60s motel thing - but it’s just been covered up again ! It had been crisis accomodation, and that’s what the new thing is- I suppose because it’s impossible to get permits to build a use … Continue reading Hidden Mansion hidden again →