Beautiful buildings of Melbourne
Beautiful buildings of Melbourne
This walk visits some of the most beautiful buildings in the Melbourne CBD, with an emphasis on the Art Deco era.
Summary
This walk visits some of the most beautiful buildings in the Melbourne CBD, with an emphasis on the Art Deco era.
Description
This walk begins at The Forum in Flinders Street, then proceeds up Swanston Street, Little Collins, Bourke Street Mall and Collins Street where you can see several significant Art Deco, Art Nouveau and other period architecture.
This walk was created as an activity of the U3A Melbourne City *Let's Do Photography* group (see https://u3amelbcity.org.au/lets-do-groups/).
741 Views
Points of Interest
1. Acknowledgement
We acknowledge and pay respect to the Wurundjeri people, their leaders past, present and emerging, on whose land these events took place. We recognise that First Nations’ sovereignty was never ceded.
2. The Forum Theatre
Built in 1929 in the Moorish Revival style, this ornate theatre is still in use today.
3. The Atrium
This large covered area provides access to the Ian Potter Centre NGV Australia, ACMI and Federation Square. It reflects the highly geometric and angular design of the whole development.
4. St Paul's Cathedral
This Gothic Revival cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne.
5. Flinders Street Railway Station
Built in 1909, this iconic building is in a mixed Edwardian style.
6. Nicholas Building
This "Chicago School" or "Commercial Palazzo" style of building was completed in 1926, with a still-functioning manual lift. The Cathedral Arcade on the ground floor is a must-see.
7. Manchester Unity Building
This magnificent art deco gothic structure was built in 1931-32 and features many lovely art deco features in the ground floor lobby. It houses the first escalators to be installed in Melbourne.
8. Century Building
Constructed in 1939-40, this art deco building, in the Streamlined Moderne style, was the first in Melbourne to be fully air-conditioned.
9. Buckley & Nunn Building
The Buckley & Nunn department store opened in 1851 and moved to this Edwardian Baroque building in 1911-12 and the adjacent Moderne art deco building (to the east) in 1933-34. Now David Jones.
10. Yule House
This Streamline Moderne art deco style 1932 building is modest but significant as one of the first of its kind in Melbourne.
11. Newspaper House
Built in 1884 and remodelled in 1932-34, this was the second Moderne art deco building (after Yule House) in Melbourne. The facade features a glittering mosaic mural, commissioned by Keith Murdoch.
12. 333 Collins Street
This modern complex is constructed over the 1893 baroque-style offices of the Commercial Bank of Australia.
13. The Gothic Bank
One of the best examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Australia, originally constructed in 1887.
14. The Rialto and Winfield buildings
The original Victorian Rialto (1891) and Winfield (1890) buildings were two of the five buildings in the Rialto group. The 55-storey Rialto Towers were built behind them in 1986.
15. Lombard Building
This 1890 building is in the free classical style of the Victorian era and was one of the first in Melbourne to have lifts.
Features
Public Transport
Historical interest
Art and culture
