24 July 2024 Collins Street Baptist Church, designed by Reed &Barnes, completed in 1862. Heritage Victoria describes it as “modelled on a Roman temple and is Reed’s finest and purest achievement in the giant Corinthian Order”, and it is pretty impressive and delicately detailed. Set on a raised podium, with quite a few steps, like … Continue reading Collins Street Baptist Church, Central House, and shop →

Repost 2018: #Balencea, #WoodMarsh, 2013, very striking. The scalloped curves are great, with the sharp points seen in their work from the 90s, but here in reflective glass; like so many towers from then on, a pretty slick skin, with balconies inset rather than attached. Sheer glass from inside. Proportions helped by the fact that … Continue reading Curves in St Kilda Road →

Repost 2014: Walkham House, 902 Swanston Street, opposite the University. Definitely 1880s, and pretty definitely Norman Hitchcock, a builder-designer, since there’s a lot of details characteristic of his work. He liked to go fully #vermiculated, and the #scrolledbracket things are actually pierced, another signature of his. Nice to see all the #acroteria and antefixae in … Continue reading Elaborate parapet in Carlton →

27 July 2018: A sort of plain #StKildaRoadMansion called Redholme, built 1896, and designed by the pretty prolific #JohnBeswicke (who had done the Gothic Bendigonia 13 years earlier a few blocks away on Queens Road). It’s very much the Edwardian/#QueenAnne style a few years before it got really popular; also unusual that its 1896, nothing … Continue reading Redholme, St Kilda Road →

Repost this day 2017: This crumbling #cornershop has looked like this as long as I can remember. Taking the #distressedlook to extremes. 2021 update : sold in 2019, and turns out it was part of a big L shape site with equally untouched building on Highett St, was owned by the Pearce family, who ran … Continue reading Crumbling in Richmond →

Repost this day 2018: Repost 2018: Ulimaroa, another nice #StKildaRoadMansion, built 1890, attributed to JAB Koch ‘on stylistic grounds’, but might have been by #LeonardJFlannagan. Your typical towered Victorian mansion with return cast iron verandah, but with an extra set of bay windows, and a bit more detailing than most, like the nice cast iron … Continue reading Ulimaroa, St Kilda Road →

26 July 2018: Repost 2018, updated : Little Milton, 1926; an impressive Toorak mansion, not little at all ! Built c1926 in Old English style in Albany Road for SJ Moran of Moran & Cato grocers. Didn’t realise that it was notable not only as a fine design, but because it was by a ‘woman … Continue reading A woman architect in Toorak, 1926 →

Repost from 2014 : #crazyhouse, 3 Westgarth Street, #fitzroy.Probably a 1960s #renovation of a #terracehouse perhaps by an Italian immigrant concreter but who knows ? Looks like made of leftovers from an office block or shopping centre. Definitely #featurism, as #robinboyd would say. I love it. Graded ‘non contributory’ in the heritage precinct, but to … Continue reading Notable postwar terrace houses →

30 July 2021 Clyde House, 1915, Collins Street next to the Athenaeum, one of the numerous pre 1960 #tallthinfrontages you find in the CBD- and yet another Edwardian era design by #NahumBarnet, this one all one big bay window, no clear style, with delightful decorations of thistles that are almost Art Nouveau curly (quite out … Continue reading Clyde House, Collins Street →

22 July 2018 The Willows, originally Estella, built 1890, likely architect #WilliamWolf - it’s pretty amazing, clusters of Tuscan columns, supporting the panels with bas relief classical scenes. A very grand front for a single story house for Leon Cohen, a ‘well known bookmaker’ (who started out with his own clothing business age 21 in … Continue reading Estella/Rathgael/The Willows →