14 October 2024 Charming Old English cottage style house in Southward Ave, Port Melbourne, which is part of the first State Government housing project in Victoria, and not only that, they’re all designed by the great Percy Everett - thanks to @other_peopleshomes for alerting me to this ! It’s one of Everett’s earliest projects, designed … Continue reading Public Housing, Port Melbourne →

13 October 2024 This looks to me like a 1920s German Bauhaus or Russian Constructivist sanatorium or institute, but once stood - in Heidelberg ! A late work by Public Works Chief Architect Percy Everett, Heidelburg High School was designed 1951, and completed in 1955. I guess it was just concrete and timber framed windows, … Continue reading Heidelberg High School →

25 June 2025 Some mid century delights in Edinburgh Avenue Caulfield, and one a block away. The first is a light timber framed design from 1958, by Montgomery King & Trengove, very nice, while the next is the elevated above carport type, from 1962, by Bernard Slawik, good in a different way. They’re both heritage … Continue reading Mid Century Modern in Caulfield →

11 October 2024 This rather amusing house once stood at 446 St Kilda Road; built c1925, it was designed by Harold Desbrowe Annear in the period when he played around with various Classical and Art & Crafts motifs. As Harriet Edquist notes in her 2004 book on him, this one ‘pushed asymmetry to the limit’, … Continue reading Quirky house, St Kilda Road →

11 October 2024 Looks like an uncared for big old Victorian, but it’s actually an uncared for Victorian Revival from the 80s or 90s, the big windows and plain bricks on the side give it away. It’s in Allison Road, Elsternwick, and there’s two others nearby. And one real Victorian, very nice. And one that’s … Continue reading Not so old →

10 October 2024 Prompted by the death of architect Graeme Gunn, Ive got some 2008 photos of the concretey delight of his 1971 Plumbers & Gasfitters Union, located right next to Trades Hall on Victoria Street (behind a pesky tree), plus pics 3,4 from 1971. It’s got all that chunky angular raw now streaky concrete … Continue reading Brutal beauty: Plumbers & Gasfitters Union →

10 October 2014 Repost 2014: Carlton Courthouse #1887 designed by #GBHAustin of the #publicworksdepartment, a lovely stylish bit of #gothicrevival. Sort of in prominent location on #drummondstreet off Elgin rather than on a main street, but it was opposite the police station, also still there. Now one of the two @lamamatheatre venues, the big courtroom … Continue reading Carlton Courthouse →

8 October 2019 I poo-pooed the #greening of the city’s #laneways as unnecessary and maybe detracting from their gritty urban quality, but actually it’s quite nice, and it’s still gritty. This is #GuildfordLane, the once unknown now totally hip laneway off queen st. Update 2024: The first 4 pics are recent, borrowed from Facebook, showing … Continue reading Greening Guildford Lane →

7 October 2024 What we’re looking at here might be basically 1843, under the 1920s roughcast, which makes it pretty bloody early for Melbourne ! (with the slight possibility that the multi pane windows are original too). This is the corner of Acland and St Leonards Ave in St Kilda, where solicitor David Ogilvy built … Continue reading St Kilda, very early, well disguised →

5 October 2024: The old School of National Philosophy extension at Melbourne Uni is in a very interesting style that’s broadly Art Deco but the diagonal verticals lend a suitably Gothic flavour, all in cream brick laid in a variety of ways. Designed by Percy Everett, chief of the PWD, just about everything he did … Continue reading Natural Philosophy is Gothic, naturally →