1 July 2024 These elegant wrought iron gates at entrance D to the Botanic Gardens are almost all thats left of the grand mansion Nareeb that once stood at 170 Kooyong Road Armadale. Built in 1888 and designed by William Sallway, it was a very heavily elaborated design in large gardens, entered through these gates. … Continue reading Nareeb gates →

28 June 2024 Garton’s Hotel (later Her Majesty’s), east side of Swanston just south of Bourke, designed by Peter Conlon, was built in 1866, with a grand array of columns and pedimented windows over three floors. It was actually to the right of the shop pair in the photo but exactly matched it - or … Continue reading Old shops, Swanston Street →

27 June 2024 Will’s Buildings, a pair of nice 1870 shophouses on Flinders Street near King Street that are unfortunately not long for this world. A permit to replace them with offices was issued in 2018, just as the Hoddle Grid Heritage Review was starting up, which recommended them for listing in 2021. The Independent … Continue reading Wills Buildings, Flinders Street →

26 June 2024 Generally known as the Fitzroy North Post Office, this fabbo pointy towered landmark on St Georges Road was originally built as a ‘land office’ in 1887, selling real estate at the height of the land boom of the 1880s. So it’s got a rich array of arches, columns, pediments, swags, lions too, … Continue reading Towered corner in North Fitzroy →

25 June 2017: Posing with the remnants of the London Tavern, Port Melbourne. Update 2024: to be fair the pub was not outstanding architecturally; it was a 1941 remodelling of an 1861 pub, but rather top heavy, maybe it had some speed lines lost by the time of the 1967 B&W photo ? More of … Continue reading Pub no more →

25 June 2024: Fabulous light in Queen Street at 1pm. Also note the equally fabulous fact that in the first two blocks all the buildings are a similar height, some built before the 132ft height limit was lifted in the late 50s, one other happens to be a similar height, and now all are heritage … Continue reading Midwinter light →

23 June 2024 Very nice church at the south end of Chapel Street, St Kilda that I’d never noticed before. It was built in 1877 for the local Wesleyan Methodist congregation, who didn’t want to trek to the older one in Fitzroy Street. Only 7 years later it was expanded with the addition of transepts … Continue reading Cute church in St Kilda →

23 June 2015: Striking block of #artdecoflats in #northfitzroy, cnr of Barkly and Pilkington Streets. Looks possibly 30s but probably 50s judging from the curly #wroughtiron balustrading (on stairs that unusually are all metal rather than concrete, and a bit rusty too). Unusual too to find this on an inner city area of mostly edwardian … Continue reading Late Moderne in North Fitzroy →

22 June 2015: Fantastic intact #artdeco #shoptop with integrated signage, and an intact shopfront to boot, both pretty rare in Melbourne - but here it is in downtown, slightly down at heel, #footscray, now purveying wigs and hair products to an African clientele. A gem on the Nicholson Street mall. 2024 update : it’s a … Continue reading Deco delight in Footscray →

20 June 2024: Modernisation of a terrace house at 96 Hotham Street in 1963 - and in 2021 it was completely restored ! The three, called Janet Terrace, were built in 1881, and designed by Charles Webb, who also did Tasma Terrace (last pic), and this has similar fully arched upper level cast iron, and … Continue reading Complete restoration in East Melbourne →