Original post 5 April 2020 A handsome #Weleyan #bluestonechurch of uncertain date in #HydeStreetFootscray; it was started in 1869-71, then enlarged in 1888 by #CJPolain, when a vestry was added at the back, but did he do the front then as well ? The charming #polychromebrick detailing is very 1888, but the #foundationstone implies the … Continue reading Wesleyan Church, Footscray, 1871 (probably)
Original post 3 April 2020 Good from any angle so here’s 4 ! #BHPbuilding (former), cnr Bourke&William, completed 1972, the apogee of refined modernism. Won the top prize at the Architects Institute Awards in 1973. Designed by #YunckenFreeman, lead architect #BarryPatten, who had travelled to Chicago to consult with #SkidmoreOwingsandMerrill, then completing both the #Hancocktower … Continue reading BHP building, Bourke Street, a modernist classic.
Original post 4 April 2020 Down a narrow side street in #Collingwood there’s this ! Apparently built in 1862 it’s the oldest #distillery building in #Melbourne. Not sure what they distilled, whiskey perhaps ? It’s in #NorthumberlandStreet, off Wellington, and once went through to Victoria Parade. Think the silos next to it were part of … Continue reading Melbournes oldest distillery, Collingwood
Original post 3 April 2020 I don’t hate but I dont love it, and it was better with the original sign. Built in 2003, designed by the late Richard Swansson (who was a year behind me at uni), documented by @bauarchitects.urbanists with hospo interiors by @grantamonarchitects. Kind of does stick out in the streetscape of … Continue reading Marque / Rydges Hotel, Fitzroy Street, 2003
Original post 2 April 2020, updated : Melville House, Collins Street, next to the Melbourne Club, was built as a pair of grand terraces in 1881, designed by Nathaniel Billing for Dr Ray. The ground levels were converted into shops in 1927, then in 1991 the rear wings were demolished for a tall postmodern office … Continue reading Melville House, Collins St, 1990
Original post 3 April 2020 A couple of weeks ago the good councillors of the @cityofmelbourne approved the replacement of the 1965 #ReserveBankofAustralia with....something pretty much the same ! Im not really a fan of the #batesmart minimalist aesthetic, but the councillors loved it ! One said it was ‘top notch’ and ‘exceptional’, another ‘a … Continue reading Spot the difference ! Reserve Bank replacement on Collins Street.
Original post 1 April 2020 This very curious thing in #QueensParade turns out to be a #substation for the tram network, built in 1955 when the #MelbourneandMetropolitanTramwaysBoard built what is now the #TramRoute86 (it was the last #cabletram line, closed in 1940, replaced by buses, which weren’t doing the job properly). It’s a funny building, … Continue reading Clifton Hill tram substation 1955
Original post 1 April 2020 Hadn’t noticed this one till the other day ! (Head in phone as always). The kindest thing I can say is that on a dull day it blends into the sky. Surprised to learn its a @fenderkatsalidis; the other side looks more interesting but this side is far more dominant; … Continue reading Another boring tower with a dull name. Melb Quarter East Tower, Docklands
Original post 31 March 2020 Casa Milano in #GreyStreetStKilda is such a simple bit of Art Deco it ends up being almost Modernist. Apparently it’s the rebuilding of a two storey Victorian shop, once exactly the same as next door. Designed by #RayJohnsonArchitect, it was built in 1933. I always thought that the timber framed … Continue reading Casa Milano, Grey Street, 1933
Original post 12 October 2019 I’m no fan of steppy buildings trying to look like they’re not as big as they are, but ....I like this one in Market Street South Melbourne. It really is setback so from right across the street it’s looks like 3 storeys, not 6, and they’ve put in that odd … Continue reading Steppy sides in South Melbourne
If the Nazi's never took power, would Berlin have Europe's tallest skyscraper and East Prussia be a honeymoon destination ?
Storey of Melbourne 