19 August 2018, updated 2025: At RMIT, buildings 5, 7 and 9 all join up into one continuous #StreamlineModerne building along the east side of Bowen Street. As designed by the great, prolific Percy Everett of the Victorian #PublicWorksDepartment, but built in five very spaced stages. The southern part of Building 9 and Building 5 … Continue reading RMIT streamlining →

Repost this day 2019 (2021-the new thing is nearly finished but no photos yet) : I’m not going to miss this one, even though it’s the first architecture job I ever had ! In 1987. A firm from Brisbane called Bell Puddy, mostly did little shopping centres, my first job was a presentation drawing for … Continue reading St Moritz to Luxury Flats →

Rather good #TudorRevival flats at the St Kilda end of #StKildaRoad; designed by #MarshAndMichaelson (better known for deco things), built 1936 as rather spacious flats, I guess befitting a road that was still mainly mansions and gardens (but plenty were guest houses by then, and plenty of flats too). The Port Phillip heritage citation says … Continue reading Grand Tudor flats in St Kilda Road →

Repost Aug 2017 + Sept 2018 : The former #BankofAustralasiaCollinsStreet was built in 1876 as a two storey edifice, designed by #ReedandBarnes ( #JosephReedArchitect) in #RenaissanceRevival “of plain but vigorous character”; then in 1928-9 #AandKHenderson added three floors, one exactly matching (though windows changed to square), one attic and one setback, and rebuilt the interior … Continue reading Grand Collins Street Bank →

Repost 2018: A #DecoDelight, Dickens Street Elwood. So many Deco flats, but this one a stand out - #heritagecolours (love the greeny green of the window frames), rounded balconies, with the one closest to Brighton Road overlapping the side lane. #WHMerritt, 1936, a makeover of an earlier building - perhaps that explains the little study/box … Continue reading Deco in Dickens Street Elwood →

18 July 2018, updated 2024: #RussellStreetPostOffice, designed 1946, by the Commonwealth Dep of Works, built 1948-1954, many delays and costing twice the estimated £1/2mill - rather retro looking by then, almost preWW2 #modernist, but I like it very much. It housed a big telephone exchange on 1st-3rd floors, and a cafeteria on the top. There … Continue reading Late 40s Modernism in Russell Street →

Looks like 18th century Portuguese #Baroque, but it’s 1954 #BrombyStreet #SouthYarra ! A donation to St Thomas Aquinas, a little 1915 Chapel-of-ease, led to this extraordinary new front (the interior wasn’t changed). It was designed by #TGPayne, looks like he had fun ! And not influenced at all by any of the modernist churches just … Continue reading Baroque surprise →

Repost this day 2018: #StoreyHall, built 1887 as the Hibernian Hall for the Irish Catholic Benefit Society, part of #RMITUniversity since 1959; the green and purple thing is an extension (foyers, gallery etc) by #ARMarchitecture, 1996 - I think they work well together. This is one of many photos I’ve taken over the last couple … Continue reading Hibernian Hall, 1887 →

16 August 2021 A fab block of #ArtDecoFlats in Dickens Street Elwood, opposite the St Kilda Botanical Gardens. Great emphasis on horizontal lines, including the window frames, set against the verticals of the chimney and stairs, with the added dash of a semi-circular widow bay for the front flats. They squeezed in a lot, 9 … Continue reading More IG Anderson Deco flat fabbness →

Repost 2019: Looming up behind the #SwanstonStreet shops at Little Lon is this beast, in Drewery Lane, a landmark related to cigarettes, concrete, and Melbs Jewish history to boot. Built in 1910 as another part of the #SnidersAndAbraham Tobacco empire, where they already had two others next to this one. Built using the Turner ‘Mushroom’ … Continue reading Sniders & Abraham Tobacco warehouse →