Original post 20 April 2020 Photos 12 September 2019 It’s easy to overlook (in a way) but the former SEC building in #FlindersStreet is actually one of the earliest fully fledged #ArtDeco buildings in the city. Completed in mid 1932, in date it’s just after Coles in Bourke Street (1930, the oldest remaining), but just … Continue reading SEC building, Flinders Street, 1932. →

Original post 18 April 2020 Another case of an amazing thing lost, but in this case it’s just the facade, and it’s been replaced twice. At what is now called #333Collins, the current facade was created in 1990, replacing an art deco facade created in 1939, which had in turn replaced the original one, built … Continue reading CBA bank Collins Street – 1893, 1939, 1990. →

Original post 1 August 2014 Surprisingly a very early house survives in the CBD, the John Smith house in Queen Street, a rare Colonial Georgian style house. First built as two storeys, started in 1849, designed by #CharlesLaing, but not finished till 1852, because all the workers rushed off to find gold. Smith was a publican … Continue reading John T Smith House, Queen Street →

17 April 2020 Okay it could have been worse but it could have been better; hard to meld a giant new thing with a little old single storey factory though - but I think probably better without the extra box at the front, if the front of the factory was retained completely including the roof. … Continue reading Facadism on Bridge Road Richmond →

Original post 16 April 2020 A nice #ArtDecoFactory in #BerkeleyStreet, #SouthCarlton. It was built for #REPCO in 1938, and the architect was FA Bell. This area was by the 30s a bit of a car area, with Melford Motors and various suppliers; this was REPCO’s warehouse for their spare parts business. It looks a bit … Continue reading REPCO, South Carlton and Richmond, 1938 →

Original post 10 October 2019 The Pacific, and next door the Atlantic and the Orion, on the pointy corner of Grey & Barkly, #StKilda, built 1934-5, and all by #BernardEvans - doing something that looks a bit like #IGAnderson, who did an unbuilt design for this corner, possibly in his Spanish/Gothic/Deco as seen on the … Continue reading Atlantic, Pacific and Orion, St Kilda,1934-5 →

Original post 16 April 2020 ☹️😢 Shocked, disappointed, angry…..the owners of the 1929 #BurnleyTheatre in Sean Street Richmond were so scared of being #heritagelisted that they’ve just destroyed the interior - another great theatre down, just like the Palace. I heard a member of the family that owns it speak at the @cityofyarra council meeting, … Continue reading Deliberate destruction. →

14 April 2020 Photos Sept 2019 The Athenaeum Club in Collins Street was built in 1929 and designed by architect Cedric Ballantyne (busy with the Regent Theatre at the same time). I think his eclectic composition of Georgian/American Beaux Arts also referred to the Victorian architecture around it at the time, for instance the detail … Continue reading Athenaeum Club, Collins Street, 1929 →

Original post 13 April 2020 Repost 2020: Just mad - both the building, next to the Town Hall, and that it was demolished in 1968 - by the #MelbourneCityCouncil. It was built in 1888-89 as the HQ of the rapidly expanding #TemperanceAndGeneral Mutual Life Assurance, and the architect was #AlfredDunn. He really went to town … Continue reading Lost Melbourne- T&G Building, Swanston Street, 1889. →

Original post 11 April 2020 The #RaymondPriestly Building at #MelbourneUniversity was plonked I mean placed right in the middle of the campus in 1967-70, and designed by Douglas Alexandra and #RayBerg in association with the Uni’s architect #RaeFeatherstone for the University administration. It’s got a base, middle and top, and a pattern of sunshade/balconies, and … Continue reading Raymond Priestly building, Melb Uni, 1970 →