Melbourne 3000
Grand Hyatt. 123 Collins Street, Melbourne
The Grand Hyatt is a 547 room, 5 star hotel on Collins Street. With a curtain wall of golden tinted glass shaped in a giant L-shaped curve, it has an imposing, if now built out, presence on the “Paris End” of Collins. Faceted vertical bays of glass break up the main exposed concrete mass and add to a shimmering effect.
Ansett House: 501 Swanston Street, Melbourne
This 18 storey brown octagonal plan modern building, originally built by defunct airline Ansett in was completed in 1975.
Following Ansett going into administration it was placed on the market in 2002 1 and eventually purchased by PDG Corporation after which an extensive $19.2 million refurbishment was undertaken in 2004 by L. U. Simon builders.2
Originally one of two towers, the smaller of which, constructed in 1961 was demolished in 2003 and replaced by a residential tower.
Posted in City of Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Skyscraper (13+ storeys) | 
Tags: 18 storey, 1970s, 1975, 20th century, ansett, brown, modern, swanston street | 
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Northbank Place: 525-565 Flinders Street, Melbourne
Northbank Place viewed from the north west corner of Flinders and Spencer Street
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Northbank Place is a group of three mixed use towers developed between November 2008 and May 2009.
Scots Church Hall: 99-101 Russell Street, Melbourne (demolished 2012)
Scots Church Hall: 99-101 Russell Street, Melbourne. Looking west from Russell Street median.
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The three storey hall was built neighbouring Scots Church in the interwar commercial palazzo style in rendered reinforced concrete. It features a prominent piano nobile base with arched windows and keystones. It is currently destined for demolition, so I thought I’d make an effort to document it before the swing of the wrecking ball so to speak.
Posted in City of Melbourne, Low-rise (1-5 storeys), Melbourne 3000 | Tags: 1920s, 1923, 20th century, 3 storey, hall, interwar, interwar palazzo, keystone, office building, paino nobile, palazzo, russell street melbourne | No Comments »
Savoy Plaza Hotel: 630 Little Collins Street and 122-133 Spencer Street, Melbourne
Savoy Plaza Hotel: 630 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. Looking north east from western side of Swanston Street.
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Hotel Alexander (or Alexander’s Hotel) was opened in early 1927 and run by Alexander Hotel Pty Ltd. At the time it was billed as “Melbourne’s most modern hotel” a fully licenced hotel with 200 rooms each with their own bathroom. At eleven storeys it was one of Melbourne and Australia’s tallest and most prominent hotels at the time taking advantage of its proximity to Spencer Street railway station. 1 A 20th Century American style hotel it claimed to be one the first in Australia to offer modern air-conditioning.
National Australia Bank: 800 Bourke Street, Victoria Harbour. Docklands