5 April 2025 The Russell Collins cafe/restaurant was in the basement of the T&G building in Collins Street, opening I think early 1940, and is a place I’d only ever heard about, but it was still going into the early 70s and plenty of people remember it fondly. I think it was an affordable luxury, … Continue reading Russell Collins Restaurant →

2 April 2025 An early survivor in Little Collins near Exhibition that I snapped in 2014. It was built as a pair of shops/houses in 1858, by builder John Bayne, who may have designed them - which would explain the unusual indeed unique use of long plain stone blocks as window surrounds, adding a touch … Continue reading Old shops and late night restaurant. →

25 March 2025 Love this crazy little building opposite the Queen Victoria Market, built in 1965 for Globe Tyres. Not sure if maybe one tall floor originally lit through those louvres ? I’m told that by the 90s it was restaurant with a curvy interior by Tom Kovaks, not there as far as I could … Continue reading Modernist tyres →

24 March 2025 This landmark in Johnston Street Fitzroy off Brunswick Street was built in 1887 as Dr Samuel Peacock’s house and surgery - and he certainly made a statement ! Not only three storeys, but topped by a mansard roof, complete with lookout, designed by Swedish born Olaff Nicholson. The Dr left for a … Continue reading Dr Peacocks house →

17 March 2025 Excellent set of 1920s lead light highlight shopfronts in St George’s Road North Fitzroy I photographed in 2014, don’t know why I didn’t snap them all. Found a sale ad in 1929, saying they had ‘expensive modern metal fronts’ so must be 20s though they look a bit Edwardian. There’s 8 left … Continue reading Great shopfronts →

18 March 2025 A case of extreme change at ground level - Albany Court in Collins Street was built in 1936, next to the 1932 Manchester Unity building, and both were designed by Marcus Barlow. It had great signage, a short shopping arcade through to Howey Place, and a newsreel cinema in the basement, with … Continue reading Albany Court, Collins Street →

14 March 2014: Former #ESandA #bank #nicholsonstreet #northcarlton. Built #1911, architect unknown. A bit #queenannestyle, a bit Romanesque, a bit #edwardianfreestyle, and loads of floral whiplash very Art Nouveau decoration, very unusual for a bank. Would have be mostly red brick under that paint. So the manager who lived upstairs and got that nice inset … Continue reading Art Nouveau bank →

13 March 2025 Some very pretty cast iron on one of the two cottages left on Alfred Square, St Kilda, which are surprisingly old. This one at No 1 is dated to at least 1855, when the earliest map of the area was drawn. It didn’t have a verandah then, but was there by 1873, … Continue reading Early cottage by the beach →

Published in Architect Victoria (magazine of the Australian Institute of Architecture, Victorian Chapter) Summer 2018 Architectural value in State heritage assessments. The rejection by the Minister for Planning Richard Wynne of the recommendation by both Heritage Victoria and the Heritage Council for listing the 1954 APM Power House in Alphington came as something of a … Continue reading Defining “ugly’. →

12 March 2025 Looks like maybe a 1910s cutesy cottage but it’s actually a c1856 prefabricated timber house in Lambeth Place St Kilda called Oberon. It’s kind of Swiss style, with that very projecting roof, and complicated window hoods, and having those triangular windows is very very unusual. It had looked pretty dilapidated when it … Continue reading Gold rush prefab in St Kilda →