The poor old 1888 #SpurlingHouse in Brighton has been in the news again; this is a photo I took last year, this is what happens if there’s a fire just after you buy it, you refuse to spend the $1.5 mill insurance on repairs and instead spend it on a bunch of experts who argue … Continue reading Spurling House Brighton saved from demolition but not actually saved yet.
‘Sunset Beach Tower’, #BeaconsfieldParade, #StKilda, 1969. Not my favourite beachfront #highrise, a bit severe, but interesting patterned panels, but no #sunshading or balconies at all, must get hot ! But great views. Also needs a paint, or possibly take the paint off. Odd angled struts at the top. It’s another #SolSapir, quite different to his … Continue reading Another Sol Sapir, but not like the others.
21 November 2019 Toorak Park Towers, Sydney Street, Armadale, 1974 another design by Sol Sapir, king of the first high rise boom. The exterior is pretty much a repeat of his 1968 Miami on Beaconsfield Parade, pic 2; then Toorak vs Miami closer up. I like the way the panels kind of stop short of … Continue reading Sol Sapir repeats a design, not for the first time.
11 January 2020: I often walk past this on the way to the tram, a very inventive example of the #polychromebrick ‘#lombardicRomanesque’ applied to a typical house form; designed by #PercyOakden (while he was part of #OakdenAddisonAndKemp) who was a bit more #avantguarde than most, taking up the #Ruskinian approach of #structuralpolychromy with interest created … Continue reading Structural Polychromy in St Kilda.
Not enough poles they said! Take this then. (this one led to some heated discussion on my post, I wasn't expecting that!)
#BurnleyHorticulturalCollege, in beautiful grounds in Burnley, #Richmond, established in 1865, has a great centrepiece building by #PercyEverett, Chief Architect of the #PublicWorksDepartment, built in 1947. His post war work was pretty much the same as his pre war work, in his trademark Modern/ #Moderne, but a bit squarer and and simplified than before, eg all … Continue reading Burnley College, 1947, another Percy Everett.
It was a surprise coming to see this, didn’t know it loomed quite so much ! The building is now on its fourth life; built as the #WertheimPiano factory in 1909, designed by #NahumBarnet, it then became the Heinz canned soup factory in the 30s with little change, then in 1956 Melb’s first commercial #TVstation … Continue reading Channel 9 is now flats – Industrial conversion in Richmond
Curious workshop thing built into the slope next to the #FootscrayArtsCentre, once Henderson’s Piggery; apparently been here since the 30s, while Griffiths & Baird were toolmakers, here in the 1950s. Thanks to #melbournecircle blog for the info.
There’s a whole section of the middle of #StKildaRoad that’s just ...empty - due to the woks for the #MelbourneMetroTunnel at #DomainInterchange.
O dear this #smokehaze is scary ! Didn’t realise it was this bad. Only other time I remember this happening was Ash Wednesday in 1983, and that was just one day or horrifying #bushfires, which burnt 3/4 mill hectares, destroying 100s of houses, including my family holiday house at Fairhaven; it took a good 10 … Continue reading Smoke Haze, 3 January 2019.
If the Nazi's never took power, would Berlin have Europe's tallest skyscraper and East Prussia be a honeymoon destination ?
