9 September 2025 St John’s in Finch Street, East Malvern is a surprisingly large church for a residential street, but then it’s been a pretty wealthy area since about 1900. Whats also surprising is that it looks exactly like a church designed in maybe the 1870s (see pics 6,7), but it dates from 1920-22 - … Continue reading St John’s East Malvern →

9 September 2025 Former Richmond Girls High, Gleadell & Highett Streets, a curious blend of modernist and domestic - completed in 1954, it was a late design by Percy Everett who had been such a stylish designer up to then, not sure why he went in for pitched roofs in later projects, maybe they were … Continue reading Richmond Girls High →

8 September 2025 The Shawcross building on Brunswick Street sure stands out ! It’s big bold and very Arts & Crafts, and rather early for that influence since it was built in 1902, when half-timbered Edwardian was all the rage. Described as ‘an imposing looking structure’ in the Fitzroy City Press, it was built by … Continue reading Shawcross →

7 September 2025 One of the zillions of little apartment projects, this one on Church Street Hawthorn, which I quite like - not too big, not to boring, not too silly, nice to see timber used externally, weathering nicely (or badly ?). Designed by @cactusarchitects, it’s about 10 years old. The occupants must like it, … Continue reading Small apartment block done well →

4 September 2025 I was going to just post this 2015 pic of the ex-State Bank in Swan Street Richmond, built in 1907, and designed by Billings & Peck, with its rather odd assortment of Queen Anne, Romanesque and Art Nouveau features - but that led me to the other similar State Banks I’ve seen … Continue reading So many Art Nouveau banks →

4 September 2025 A little survivor on Swanston Street opposite the city square /town hall station. I always thought it was just a shop terrace, but it’s what remains of a larger building. As the parapet says it was built in 1904, in a very retro Victorian style, and the right half was the Town … Continue reading Town Hall Hotel →

3 September 2025 This fabulously elaborate facade on Sean Street Richmond near Church Street was probably built as the Richmond Coffee Palace in 1888, designed by William Wolf. I especially like the top floor pilasters with hanging fruit decoration, and the swags between. I also like that there’s a lot of ochre colour left on … Continue reading Swan Street Richmond →

1 September 2025 The former Police Barracks on St Kilda Road is rather grand, but also rather bland - it’s got a range of classical / Georgian details, but it’s all rather flat, but perfectly nice. Public Works Architect EE Evans liked a bit of no frills Georgian; Box Hill High is similar but much … Continue reading Police Barracks →

1 September 2025 Sticking up in Little Bourke near Hardware is this warehouse built in 1889 for Jacob & Benjamin Marks, who were jewellers. It was designed by George De Lacy Evans in a rather unusual rendering of the Queen Anne style, with a big arch motif up top, bisected by the piers/windows, and topped … Continue reading Marks’ warehouse Little Bourke →

29 August 2025 I really don’t know what I think about this - amusing, weird, pretentious yet striking ….. it’s on the corner of High St and Glenferrie Road Armadale, called The Sun and the Moon, by Paul Juraszek, and dates from 1989. The @nationaltrustvic citation notes that “In size, cost, prominent position and provocative … Continue reading Mythical Malvern →