Original post 30 April 2020 Love this image taken in the 1950s for a history iof #JohnsAndWaygood (written by #GeoffreyBlainey) which shows an Edwardian era lift complete with lift operator and seat - many of the earliest lifts in Melbs and Syd were operated by #hydraulicpower, which pushed the lift up slowly, hence the seat. … Continue reading Melbourne’s hydraulic lifts →

Original post 29 April 2020 Photos 5 March A case of #whywouldyoubother #facadism in Lennox St Richmond. I seem to recall this was a stables (and there’s another facade 20m away), perhaps there was a lot of timber structure between ? I think this happened in the 90s. Update : yes Howell’s Livery, 1884.

Original post 27 April 2020 Lost Melbourne part 22- this is Prell’s Building, named after the developer Wilhelm Prell, who built this in 1889 on the south east corner of Queen Street and Flinders Lane. It was designed by #FMWhite in a very, um, efficient form of a grid of regular matching openings that could … Continue reading Lost Victorian Skyscrapers – Prells Buildings, Queen Street →

Original post 27 April 2020 Tidying up my bookshelves and finding all these books I bought and then never read ! This one, published by the #RoyalHistoricalSocietyofVictoria has loads of photos of Melbs I havnt seen before, or only blurry old-time published ones, like this marvellous #MughalStyle house in #EastMelbourne, which was on Albert Street, … Continue reading Lost Melbourne, Moorish Style →

25 April 2025 For about 25 years George’s Store in Collins Street had this amazing atrium ! Quite a wild display of the Edwardian approach to merchandising, that is, load it up. Except the ladies lounge. The store was built 1884, became George’s in 1889, and in 1908 was fully refurbished, with this atrium, and … Continue reading George’s Store interiors →

Original post 24 April 2020 The second #cinemainterior I’m helping trying to save - this lattice ceiling is now hidden above shop partitions of the BBQ galore next to the Richmond Town Hall- it’s simpler than your average old cinema interior, but has a fascinating history. First built in 1888 as a #SkatingRink, when the … Continue reading Two cinema interiors not protected, Richmond and Collingwood →

22 April 2020 Photos 20 September 2019 Repost 2020: Pretty crazy but there it is in the middle of #BourkeStreet. The 1969 #HoytsCinemaCentre was designed by Sydney based #PeterMullerArchitect; vertical piers on the sides, some leaning-in solid bits too - vs the main leaning out volume, the #upsidedownpagoda (not a pagoda but it does have … Continue reading Hoyts Cinema Centre, Bourke Street, 1969 →

Original post 10 October 2019 Everyone’s favourite giant TV screen hovering over a carpark ❤️❤️ except #MatthewGuy who called it an eyesore - #TotalHouse, designed by #BogleBanfield, finished 1966. Hanging on but god knows what’ll happen - it was bought to become a 70 storey tower, then we got it added to the #heritageregister in … Continue reading Total House, Russell Street, 1962 →

Original post 22 April 2020 Another architectural disaster from #BridgeRoadRichmond ...... I was going to say that the Epworth demolished the left half of this, but no, seems it was always like this; and it was built in 1941 for Grynberg Drapers. With two flats upstate each accessed from inside each of the two shops. … Continue reading Art Deco in Bridge Road, Richmond →

Original post March 2018 : The #PatonBuilding, 1905, architect #NahumBarnet. One of the wonderful #TallArchedRedBrickRomanesque, a style peculiar to Melbourne, combining American #RomanesqueRevival (the tall arches, maybe from #LouisSullivan), #QueenAnne, and sometimes #ArtNouveau details. The panels between the windows are tulips ? pomegranates? but a bit like octopuses too. The red brick here is actually … Continue reading Paton Building, Elizabeth Street, 1905. →