This is The Oxley in Ward Avenue.
Most of the decoration on the facade comes from the arrangement of standard dark coloured bricks as can be seen above the windows on the squared-off corner and the stepped window boxes on the four upper floor windows on the front.
Colour is introduced around the front entrance, albeit in the form of black and white Art Deco patterning in the tiles and paintwork.
It is almost as if the doorway belongs to another building altogether.
I wonder why there are so many red brick deco buildings in Sydney and hardly any in Melbourne. The beautiful Melbourne buildings may have been made from concrete, granite, stone or indeed rendered something else, but rarely red brick.
ReplyDeleteWere bricks cheaper in Sydney than other building materials? Did Sydney achitects prefer the look of dark red bricks? Did bricks have better insulating properties?
Intersting point Hels. We do have a lot of deco buildings in Melbourne made of brick but it tends to be cream bricks rather that the dark red. There are some very interesting brick buildings on Brighton Rd on the opp side to StK Town Hall heading towards Glen Eira and some further up again on the same side as the TH.
ReplyDeleteRobin Grow always says on his walks that Melb has lots of brick deco buildings because there were lots of brick works and they were cheap.