25 April 2025 For about 25 years George’s Store in Collins Street had this amazing atrium ! Quite a wild display of the Edwardian approach to merchandising, that is, load it up. Except the ladies lounge. The store was built 1884, became George’s in 1889, and in 1908 was fully refurbished, with this atrium, and … Continue reading George’s Store interiors →

Original post 24 April 2020 The second #cinemainterior I’m helping trying to save - this lattice ceiling is now hidden above shop partitions of the BBQ galore next to the Richmond Town Hall- it’s simpler than your average old cinema interior, but has a fascinating history. First built in 1888 as a #SkatingRink, when the … Continue reading Two cinema interiors not protected, Richmond and Collingwood →

22 April 2020 Photos 20 September 2019 Repost 2020: Pretty crazy but there it is in the middle of #BourkeStreet. The 1969 #HoytsCinemaCentre was designed by Sydney based #PeterMullerArchitect; vertical piers on the sides, some leaning-in solid bits too - vs the main leaning out volume, the #upsidedownpagoda (not a pagoda but it does have … Continue reading Hoyts Cinema Centre, Bourke Street, 1969 →

Original post 10 October 2019 Everyone’s favourite giant TV screen hovering over a carpark ❤️❤️ except #MatthewGuy who called it an eyesore - #TotalHouse, designed by #BogleBanfield, finished 1966. Hanging on but god knows what’ll happen - it was bought to become a 70 storey tower, then we got it added to the #heritageregister in … Continue reading Total House, Russell Street, 1962 →

Original post 22 April 2020 Another architectural disaster from #BridgeRoadRichmond ...... I was going to say that the Epworth demolished the left half of this, but no, seems it was always like this; and it was built in 1941 for Grynberg Drapers. With two flats upstate each accessed from inside each of the two shops. … Continue reading Art Deco in Bridge Road, Richmond →

Original post March 2018 : The #PatonBuilding, 1905, architect #NahumBarnet. One of the wonderful #TallArchedRedBrickRomanesque, a style peculiar to Melbourne, combining American #RomanesqueRevival (the tall arches, maybe from #LouisSullivan), #QueenAnne, and sometimes #ArtNouveau details. The panels between the windows are tulips ? pomegranates? but a bit like octopuses too. The red brick here is actually … Continue reading Paton Building, Elizabeth Street, 1905. →

Original post 20 April 2020 Photos 12 September 2019 It’s easy to overlook (in a way) but the former SEC building in #FlindersStreet is actually one of the earliest fully fledged #ArtDeco buildings in the city. Completed in mid 1932, in date it’s just after Coles in Bourke Street (1930, the oldest remaining), but just … Continue reading SEC building, Flinders Street, 1932. →

Original post 18 April 2020 Another case of an amazing thing lost, but in this case it’s just the facade, and it’s been replaced twice. At what is now called #333Collins, the current facade was created in 1990, replacing an art deco facade created in 1939, which had in turn replaced the original one, built … Continue reading CBA bank Collins Street – 1893, 1939, 1990. →

Original post 1 August 2014 Surprisingly a very early house survives in the CBD, the John Smith house in Queen Street, a rare Colonial Georgian style house. First built as two storeys, started in 1849, designed by #CharlesLaing, but not finished till 1852, because all the workers rushed off to find gold. Smith was a publican … Continue reading John T Smith House, Queen Street →

17 April 2020 Okay it could have been worse but it could have been better; hard to meld a giant new thing with a little old single storey factory though - but I think probably better without the extra box at the front, if the front of the factory was retained completely including the roof. … Continue reading Facadism on Bridge Road Richmond →