November 2025 Perfectly nice but not outstanding block of Deco flats in Eildon Rd St Kilda, representing the stripped back often plain designs built in the mini boom of 1939-40. The notable thing here though is that it was built by a Jewish owner and the first occupants were recent Jewish refugees, and only female … Continue reading Refugee housing →

November 2025 Cute little modernish Georgian house in Anderson Street South Yarra, 1941. It was built for the van Stratens, who had recently come out from England, and remained home for son Frank up until his death last year aged 87. Frank van Straten was Australia’s foremost theatre historian, writing many books and histories on … Continue reading Modern Georgian →

October 2025 The great huge stonking entrance to the Old Melbourne Gaol, off Victoria Street, partly hidden behind RMIT buildings. It was built in the early 1860s, designed by JJ Clark or Gustav Joachimi, who also designed the Pentridge entrance around the same time. It leads into a nice courtyard with the chapel on axis. … Continue reading Old Melbourne Gaol →

October 2025 I still quite like this one that faces the forecourt of the State Library; it’s not too big, it’s got a podium that’s the same scale as the library, and there’s some fun shapes and colours. It’s by @mcbridecharlesryan, completed 2004, and the purple is one of their signature colours. I also like … Continue reading QV development →

October 2025 I just saw an old photo of this huge pile and thought it was a demolished mansion I hadn’t seen - but actually it’s still there ! It’s Moondah in Mt Eliza, the home of the quite wealthy Richard Grice. The 1860 Gothic house on the adjacent property was built by his father, … Continue reading Moondah, a mansion by the sea →

September 2025 Bright red tiles and a blue post add a Mondrian touch to these 50s flats in Burnett Street St Kilda. It’s actually one of a pair, the other painted into blandness. They replaced a large Victorian house, so they’re numbers 17 and 17a, the latter with the red tiles. It sold earlier this … Continue reading nice tiles →

October 2025 Near Caulfield Racecourse are some houses of trainers that have survived with their big stables - I knew they were there somewhere, and happened to see two down some lanes. The first is off Bond Street, and it’s got some nice carved barge boards, but seen better days (and so has the house). … Continue reading Caulfield racing stables →

October 2025 The all new Melbourne Walk development on Bourke Street, which looks very nice, does all the right things - except that only facades and some side walls were retained from the 5 heritage buildings there before (blue bits on the plan, and I’ve got some before pics interspersed). They were abandoned above the … Continue reading Walk arcade redevelopment →

October 2025 After a large site on Fitzroy Street near Grey Street was subdivided and sold in 1879, a row of six grand mansions were built, all a similar size, with matching garden setbacks. From the 1910s to the 1950s, they all disappeared behind shops built over the gardens, leaving some of them intact, and … Continue reading Hidden mansion row, St Kilda →

October 2025 The beautiful Royal Arcade, which looks much like it’s ever done, elegant shopfronts, marble floors, glass roof on decorative cast iron trusses, lights on curly brass fittings - but actually it’s changed a bit from the 1870 original, designed by Charles Webb. Back then it had a slate floor and flat timber shopfronts, … Continue reading Royal Arcade →