October 2025 Some nice but not extraordinary Art Deco flats in Creswick Street Hawthorn, on a sloping site looking to the river. The only notable style elements are the broad horizontal stripes versus the stepped facades with chamfered corners creating windows on the angle. Not heritage listed so no existing research, but checking Trove contemporary … Continue reading Flats controversy in Hawthorn →

October 2025 This photo from 1984 popped up Facebook recently - it’s the South Yarra Arms Hotel, which once stood on the corner of Chapel Street and Toorak Road, and gathered lots of comments from people who fondly remember it from the 70s and 80s as a popular pub with live bands and a disco. … Continue reading South Yarra Arms →

October 2025 Spotted this rather gigantic house in Anderson Street South Yarra opposite the gardens, and thought it looked maybe Tudor revival but without the cute details - turns out it dates from 1907, designed by Klingender & Alsop on Arts & Crafts style, and comparing to the early photo, it’s been sadly rather altered. … Continue reading Arts & Crafts, altered →

October 2025 A cute little group in Elizabeth Street just up from Collins, pretty unchanged. The one in the middle was a new home for Alexander’s, rebuilt in 1938, designed by the very busy Harry Norris in a restrained Deco style. Still got the signage ! But needs a clean. They started out as tobacconists, … Continue reading Alexander’s Elizabeth Street →

October 2025 Impressive house at 768 Malvern Road Armadale - it’s got the format of many two storey Victorian houses, a bow window poking forward to one side with a double level verandah, but here it’s done in masonry arches instead of the usual cast iron. And the arches are kind of wide, so they … Continue reading Good arches →

October 2025 Seem from the tram, finally had a look - a very unusual flat development in Balaclava Road, East St Kilda, called Greyfriars, which has a gravelled central carpark area accessed through a simple brick sort of classical screen. It was built 1949-50, early in the pickup of postwar flats, and was touted as … Continue reading Courtyard flats, East St Kilda →

October 2025 The striking HQ of the State Savings Bank of Victoria once dominated the corner of Elizabeth and Bourke, but was demolished in the mid 70s. Though it looks very 19thC, it wasn’t completed until the 1930s! The bank started out in the 5 bays at the far end, completed in 1913 and designed … Continue reading State Bank grandeur →

October 2025 I like trams and I like bridges so I was sad to read recently that the long mooted tram to fisherman’s bend via a new bridge over the Yarra is now definitely off; instead they might make a branch off the Port Melbourne line, a bit of a loop but far cheaper. It … Continue reading No tram no bridge →

September 2025 If you didn’t know the background, you’d say the Le Meridien hotel in Bourke Street which opened early 2023 was ok, it’s low rise set back, and much preferable to the original huge 30 storey proposal. But unfortunately it replaced a much loved music venue in an historic theatre, the Palace, keeping only … Continue reading Palace / Metro Theatre →

September 2025 The ex-Richmond Power Station is attractive, impressive and very graffitied - it’s in Cremorne off the river, and you might have seen it from the train. The first part was built in 1891, designed in nice stripey brickwork with a cute tower by Henry Gibbs for the first private electric supply provider in … Continue reading Richmond Power Station →