1 February 2025 Rather fabulous townhouses in Brighton Road Balaclava, corner of Albion Street, where all wall surfaces including the chimneys are made up of crazy-paved brick/blockwork, in a range of sizes and colours, including bricks with impressed patterns. And that’s on top of also going all Art Deco, with nearly every corner delightfully curved, … Continue reading Crazy Deco brickwork →

1 February 2025 Im posting this block of flats at the bay end of Robe Street St Kilda not because of its architectural qualities, though it is a very nice combo of Arts & Crafts and Spanish, but because of a memory it evokes - waaay bank in the mid 80s when I was a … Continue reading Grand scale flats, St Kilda →

1 February 2025 A rather unusual but fun parapet detail on 6-8 Fawkner Street St Kilda, which I’m told dates from 1901 and was designed by Sydney Smith & Ogg - but they often used the famous Arts & Crafts designer and teacher Robert Haddon, who sold designs to other architects. The very Art Nouveau … Continue reading Art Nouveau in St Kilda →

1 February 2025 I was a bit sorry to see this old monument just toppled to the ground; it happened overnight the day before Australia Day, no doubt because it was a monument to one of our ‘founders’ John Batman. I always thought he was a rather sad figure, claiming to have bought the site … Continue reading Batman over →

28 January 2025 Cute but careworn Deco thing at the bottom of Chapel Street near Carlisle. Unusual in that it looks like it was built as an office with a flat or flats above and behind. It also sticks out because there’s a big carpark next door. The office is a lawyers with an old … Continue reading Cute Deco in Balaclava →

28 January 2021 The Agriculture Department once stood in #StAndrewsPlace #EastMelbourne. Built in 1948-51, it was designed by my fave #PercyEverett, Public Works Chief Architect, in his signature dynamic modern form, in this case stepped to suit the angled site with opposing horizontals and verticals - very retro for the date but very stylish ! … Continue reading Lost late Moderne →

17 January 2025 I went looking for this laneway a couple of weeks ago; I thought it was Spark Lane, off Flinders near Spring, but it was all covered by scaffolding. I did find a picturesque light well / building gap though, and some nice bluestone (too neat to be completely original though). I now … Continue reading Back lane, long gone →

24 January 2025 Caulfield Primary in Glenhuntly Road, one of the many Victorian Gothic schools built after compulsory primary education was introduced in 1872. This one is noted for its projecting rounded bay for the masters office, further emphasised by the cute little tower, both with original glazed flat roof tiles (and a bit hidden … Continue reading Another Gothic school →

24 January Repost 2021: A very unusual example of the #RomanesqueRevival applied to a house, this sits behind a nice garden in #AlmaRoad #EastStKilda. Actually built not as a house but for the boarders of the (once) adjacent Priory Girls School, which perhaps explains the three generous reception rooms, maybe once dorms ? Built in … Continue reading Romanesque house, 1890 →

23 January 2021: Got my copy of ‘Winning Homes’, the result of Tim Reeves’ PhD on Australian ‘ideal’ home competitions - and interesting to see that many of the winners of the 1934 Victorian Centenary Homes Exhibition held at Myer (!) were ‘Modern’, a style which was rarely actually built in the 30s. None exactly … Continue reading Winning Modernist houses, 1934 →