4 August 2024 Beaut flats in Inkerman Street Bakaclava, designed by Michael Feldhagen, and built in 1962. It’s got 3 different types of concrete blocks, square breeze blocks, patterned ones on the end walls, and long rough faced bricks, some painted now (or possibly always were), as well as jaunty angled wing walls upstairs holding … Continue reading Concrete blocked flats →

3 August 2015: Amongst the #urbanmess of Russell Street, a rather nice #queenanne commercial building with a densely packed but wonderfully rhythmical #parapet level. Surprisingly not much info other than its c1900, but I rekon c1890 (2024 update - it is 1890 😊, architect EJ Henderson). Built by financier and MP (Sir) Edward Miller, and … Continue reading Millers Building, 1890 →

3 August 2024 This old Bank of NSW on Flinders Street, cnr King Street is pretty usual all round for 1912, with a restrained English Arts & Crafts influence, contrasted by delicate Art Nouveau details. It was by architects Godfrey & Spowers, but possibly with a lot of input from design consultant Robert Haddon, as … Continue reading Art Nouveau bank, Flinders Street →

2 August 2024 Great stylish sign on the ex Swallow & Ariell Biscuit factory in Port Melbourne, now largely hidden by trees. When the redevelopment into flats was planned in the early 90s they were just going to demolish this bit, which in the end they did, but reproduced it on a beam over the … Continue reading Swallow & Ariell →

1 August 2024 The sign says ‘Save Inkerman Street’ but looks like this verandah needs saving ! The cottage is actually quite old, c1870, but the windows and verandah look 1920s to me. It’s part of a small heritage precinct that includes a great Victorian arcaded terrace row and some shops across the street. Apparently … Continue reading Inkerman Street →

1 August 2024 Lost Sydney - someone said that maybe Melbourne’s losses were worse than other cities, and I said, well every city in the English speaking world lost a lot in the huge urban rebuilding of the 1950s-70s, before there was such a thing as heritage listing, so I’ve found a bunch of big … Continue reading Lost Sydney →

30 July 2024, photos from March : A rather dramatic example of facadism on Spencer Street West Melbourne, completed in 2017. When first proposed in 2006, they were going to demolish it completely, since heritage listings were way behind, but the art deco & modernism society and the @nationaltrustvic successfully got the facades preserved, with … Continue reading Facadism in Spencer Street →

28 July 2013: East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation/ Melbourne City Synagogue, 1877 but facade 1883 (what did it look like before then ?). Both parts designed by Crouch & Wilson, who were not Jewish, in fact did lots of churches, mostly Gothic but here classical, with slightly exotic pointed domes. Inside, rather spacious, also classical, with … Continue reading East Melbourne Synagogue →

27 July 2024 Repost 2019 Open House Melbourne : All Saints St Kilda East has an interior that’s much more elaborate than the exterior - the wonderful apse decoration was done in 1898 (designer not known) - pale green, dark terra cotta, and gold go together rather well. The painted decoration was comprehensively restored in … Continue reading All Saints St Kilda →

26 July 2024: Very nice Edwardian warehouse with some very elaborate Art Nouveau decoration in Queen Street near Lonsdale. All super curly, sort of vegetal forms, but so abstracted looks like seaweed. Designed by Gibbs & Finlay, and built in 1904, as an investment for solicitor Alexander Grant, the first occupant being a lithographer. The … Continue reading Art Nouveau in Queen Street →