Arnold Court, South Yarra

Arnold Court is another block of flats in the inner Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Originally built in 1940, all the balconies would have been open like the top two in this picture.

The block is symmetrical with curved balconies leading to the central stairway above the front entrance. The centre of the building is marked on the roofline by a concave point with similar concave diamond patterns displayed in the render. A series of steps also draw the eye to the buildings apex while a horizontal band from each step turn into a vertical band leading back to the main entrance. Three bold horizontal provide simple decoration for each of the balconies.

This photo shows the decorative grills on the windows above the front entrance. The door has a similar grill. They seem to have a French influence to me, much like the door of nearby Abercarn flats. The name and street number are proudly displayed in relief ironwork above the doorway, another common deco feature.

Arnold Court is typical of art deco flats in Melbourne. They tend to be three storeys tall because the planning laws at the time dictated that any higher required a lift so three storey walk-up flats are very, very common in the Melbourne suburbs.