2 August 2025 A house in Dandenong Road East St Kilda that’s seen better days - and pretty notable too. It’s called Broxted, and was built in 1918 by Howard Lawson as his own home. He was a pretty prolific architect /developer, starting out about 1912, best known for the 1930s Beverly Hills flats in … Continue reading Early Howard Lawson →

31 July 2025 Slightly spooky old house in Creswick Street Hawthorn - I knew it was old, didn’t realise how old ! Might be 1845 when JD Pinnock bought this whole chunk of Hawthorn. Or might be a bit later. Designed by John Gill, an early colonial architect, in a simple picturesque Gothic style, with … Continue reading Gothic in Hawthorn →

30 July No words. I mean, I could say a lot, but basically it’s just baffling. Spring Road, Malvern.

30 July 2025 The fountain in the Malvern Public Garden looked fabulous in the winter sun yesterday. It’s also known as the Spring Road Gardens, and the fountain is a memory of the spring that once sprang here. The gardens were opened in 1890, and the lake and fountain were built by Charles Robintte, a … Continue reading Spring Road Gardens →

29 July 2025 What a show off for a school ! This rather amazing tower was added to Malvern State School in 1890, when the Public Works Department was being more experimental - it’s a bit medieval Italian, but also influenced by the ‘brutes’ strand of the Victorian Gothic Revival. It was part of an … Continue reading Malvern State School →

July 2025 Pretty in pink ! Made it to Marne Street South Yarra today while the sun was shining, and this one stood out in all its frilly Spanish finery (the best bits are only top and bottom, but that ok!). Marne Court was built in 1930, designed by Gordon J Sutherland, and I think … Continue reading Marne Street, so many interesting flats →

17 July 2025 A bit of Lost Melbourne - this is Lister House, cnr of Collins and Exhibition, and once very much a part of the Paris End character. It was built in 1915, and housed purpose built Drs surgeries (hence the name) on the first three floors, with three floors of flats above, part … Continue reading Lister House →

17 July 2025 The Gables, on Finch Street Malvern, quite an appropriate name ! It was built in 1902, designed by Ussher & Kemp who has pretty much invented what we now call the Edwardian style a few years earlier, with all those gables, turned timber verandahs and marseille tiles. This was the largest early … Continue reading East Malvern Edwardian →

14 July 2025 A fine large terrace house in Acland Street St Kilda that I snapped in 2018, and has since been painted up nicely - in rich beige with olive drab trim and the cast iron in eau-de-nil trim. (Looks like there’s brick under the paint though, at least around the door). So much … Continue reading Heritage colours →

12 July 2025 Surrey Court, Ormond Road, Elwood, a delightful essay in Tudor, as well as being one of the unusual courtyard style of flats. Built in 1933, it was designed by J Esmond Dorney, and the comprehensive Old English style quote different from his then usual zippy brick or later Deco blocks. Love the … Continue reading Tudor courtyard style →