Repost 2019: 10,12 and 14 #PowlettStreet, #EastMelbourne, 1886, all matching and perfectly intact. And all named after English places, where of course most Melburnians came from in the 19thC. Exeter, which is in Devon, and Edgcombe, which isn’t a place in the Uk hmm. Update: Edgecombe is a name for some cottages in a town … Continue reading English place names, East Melbourne →

Repost 2016: Spencer Street first opened in 1859, and grew as a collection of buildings from various periods, inadequate by 1891 when a grand new building was proposed, sadly never built (possibly designed by Mr Snow of the Existing Lines Branch of the Railways). They did built the enormous offices on Spencer Street, planned at … Continue reading Spencer Street Station, almost →

Repost 2017: Just when you think something is old enough to be worthy of protection, it gets changed. It happens about the 30 year mark. This one was built in 1988, so pretty close! Sad to see the #Postmodern grid covered by #parametric #foldedplate (so shiny) #222ExhibitionStreet, #DentonCorkerMarshall; new work by @graypuksand. So much for … Continue reading Postmodern cruelty →

October 2021 Rather amazing house in Hawthorn for sale thought I’d share - the real estate agents say it was built 1876, but been abandoned ‘a good 10 years’ - clearly after they started renovating. It’s in Yarra Grove, in that funny area between Hawthorn Station and Leonda that’s only got a couple of ways … Continue reading Abandoned house in Hawthorn →

3 October 2014: Early 1880s #terracehouses barry street #southcarlton, or at least the front sections. In the late 90s #melbourneuniversity was moving into south carlton and was going to #demolish all the terraces - a furore ensued and in the end two houses were dem, the rest retained to two room depth (#frontportionism ?) And … Continue reading Barry Street Carlton →

4 October 2017: A pair of terraces at 86-88 #CollinsStreet in the #ParisEnd. Built in 1872, designed by #JamesGall, some of the grand houses in the area, the ‘Harley Street of Melbourne’, often occupied by well to do doctors in the 19thC, with surgeries at ground level. A third terrace was demolished in the early … Continue reading Grand terraces, Collins Street →

Repost 2018: The rather nice #ToorakBowlsClub, a timber vernacular structure, first part dating from 1914 - might be the symmetrical gabled bit on the left - with the other part featuring #neoclassical columns and multi pane windows, maybe it’s #capecodstyle ? apparently dating from the 1950s. Can’t find anything much on Trove, but @stonningtonlibraries has … Continue reading Toorak Bowls Club →

3 October 2019: Rather plain, but important as one of the few places built before WW2 designed by a female architect - a #blockofflats in George St #EastMelbourne, built 1933, designed by Edith Ingpen, the first woman to graduate from the Uni Melb course, and I think the only sole #femalearchitect working in Victoria in … Continue reading Edith Ingpen, early female architect →

Repost 2018: The not amazing but not nothing #QueensBridgeHotel, 1927, #PeckandKempter, a nice #strippedclassical design, rather prefiguring Art Deco, and probably not long for this world. [2021 update: after a battle at Panel this did in fact get #heritagelisted late 2020]. Pretty sure way back in the 80s it was #heritagelisted, but it dropped out … Continue reading Queensbridge Hotel, listed →

Repost 2019: A #roofscape created by the #132ftheightlimit, imposed in 1916, and only ‘uninhabited towers’ allowed above, eg the #ManchesterUnity spire in the distance. So glad it was reimposed in 1982! As 40m. And that not much went over it in the 50s-70s when it wasn’t there. Lucky city. View from the Myer Menswear 4th … Continue reading City roofs →