Original post 13 Feb 2021: Facade as soft furnishing - a curious quilted artwork depicting #McCrackensBrewery - which once stood in #CollinsStreet, and the last part was demolished c1969 for #500CollinsStreet - where this is installed in the foyer - behind a column ! (My memory is it was once straight ahead). Someone once told … Continue reading McCrackens City Brewery, Collins Street →

Original post 13 February 2022: The Great Western Hotel in King Street was built in 1861, but missed out on heritage listing until it was included in the latest review, but then excluded because there was already a demolition permit 😢 - then they compromised by keeping just two facades. Then a new developer and … Continue reading Great Western Hotel facadism →

12 February 2023 The former Women’s Hospital Carpark, Grattan Street, Carlton, designed by Mockridge Stahle & Mitchell and built in 1974 is rather good architecture, from the soft end of Brutalism. Recommend for heritage listing, generating some local opposition, of course. I’ve always quite liked it, the rounded edges in board marked concrete, the fawn … Continue reading Brutalist car park heritage listing →

Original post 12 February 2018: Dr Barrett’s house, 1867, designed by #WHEllerker, #HoweCrescent, #SouthMelbourne. Unusual #minimansion, with a tower, but not too tall, and portico, but not too deep. In the 80s and 90s this was the home of the @institute_of_architects_vic, which I always thought was odd, i mean not only not in town, but … Continue reading Dr Barrett’s house, South Melbourne →

Original post 12 February 2019: Just discovered that the #ACAbuilding in Queen Street has a twin in on Sydney ! On Market Street. How did I not know that? Though not exactly a twin. Ours was built in 1936, the Sydney one in 1938, both by Sydney architects #HennessyAndHennessy, both pink, vertical, most details the … Continue reading ACA building Queen Street twin →

Original lost 12 February 2021: Repost this day 2021: One of the finest Greek Temple style buildings in 19thC Melbourne - great flowing Ionic capitals and richly carved Brutish coat of arms in the pediment- but demolished a loooooong time ago! 135 years. So I’m not going to say what a pity. The Oriental Bank … Continue reading Oriental Bank, long time gone. →

Original post 11 Feb 2021: Pleased to report (belatedly) that the proposal to create a cafe by inserting a mezzanine and infilling the stage area of the 1938 Nicholas Hall next to the Wesley Church on Lonsdale Street was refused by Heritage Victoria in August last year - they did not agree that that the … Continue reading Nicholas Hall restaurant refused →

Original post 12 Feb 2021: I don’t see any justification for this - a giant office tower almost on top of the grand Titles Office on Queen Street - built on legs above the strong rooms out back that once held all Victorian titles on slate shelving on many levels with wonderful cast iron railings … Continue reading Titles Office tower proposal →

Original post 10 February 2021: The simply splendid #CamberwellHighSchool, by fave architect #PercyEverett, completed 1941. (Photos 1,2 from Wikipedia) Clearly influenced by #brickexpressionism the most popular style in 20s Germany - Percy had travelled widely. The view of the main building front has been obscured from Prospect Hill Road by a new wing sadly; a … Continue reading Camberwell High School →

9 February 2016: Readers Feast is leaving the main floor of the old Georges building. This is one of the many spaces in the City that has no interior protection, because the City of Melbourne has dragged its feet on listing ANY interiors. And Heritage Victoria has been sitting on a nomination since 1996. The … Continue reading George’s Store →