Posts Tagged ‘1920s’

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.

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.

Former Michaelis Hallenstein & Co: 441-445 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Former Michaelis Hallenstein & Co 441-445 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

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This fine four storey building with basement was built as the new offices for Hallenstein & Co, a tanners in 1924 to a Tompkins brothers design and built by FE Shillabeer & Sons.  The company purchased the property from Edwards Dunlop & Co in 1923.  The company had traded in Melbourne since the 1860s.12

Swann House: 22-38 William Street, Melbourne

Swann House: 22-38 William Street, Melbourne

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Built for the State Electricity Commission in 1921 as an eleven storey office building, it has also been known in its history as Lyle House.  It was designed by the SEC chief architect and constructed by Hansen & Yuncken in reinforced concrete.

Malthouse Apartments: 22 Abinger Street, Richmond

Malthouse Apartments: 22 Abinger Street, Richmond

Malthouse Apartments (also known simply as “The Silos”) is a Richmond landmark.  The result of an innovative residential conversion of 1920s four leaf clover shaped industrial wheat grain silos (known as Daly’s Malthouse1) which was completed in 1996.  The architect was Nonda Katsalidis who was at the time beginning to establish himself as one of Melbourne’s most fashionable architects.2

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