Avila, St Kilda

Avila is a fantastic block of flats in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda.

Dating from 1935, it sits across the corner with an impressive art deco facade designed by architects Beedham and Wright.

I particularily like the curved balconies that wrap around the edge of the facade leading to the plainer wings of the building.

One of the more striking elements is the decoration at the roofline above the main entrance.

Other elements include faux balconies at each of the central windows and the wooden shutters held back with 'S' shaped fixtures and featuring a square cut-out decorative panel.

The entrance too is fantastic. The door is setback into a shaded porch flanked by simple brick planters while stylised lettering spells out Avila.

The wall lights on either side of the porch opening are pure art deco.

Avila was used in the 1997 Australian televison series Good Guys, Bad Guys. Lead character Elvis Maginnis, played by Marcus Graham, lived here and the establishing shots of the building are just about all I can remember from the programme.