Beach Dressing Pavillion, Williamstown

The Beach Dressing Pavillion on the Esplanade in Williamstown was built in 1936 and now provides the setting for Sirens Restaurant and Bistro.

This building echos the nautical theme almost expected by its seaside location.

There is a flagpole near the 'bow', a deck with a metal railing offering magnificent views over the Bay, portholes and a circular 'bridge' at the 'stern'.

A great example of a heritage building that has been adapted and reused with a fantastic result.

Modernist Houses in Marewa

The 1931 earthquake that brought so much destruction to the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand also created a new suburb.

A large area of marshy land near Napier was raised by the quake and became dry land. In the mid to late 1930s, the area was opened up for residential development and became the suburb of Marewa, 'raised from the sea'.

A lot of the houses in Marewa were built as single storey modernist buildings. Often rendered and painted white or a pale colour with simple stylised decoration. Low walls were also common, setting the boundary of the property without obscuring the house.

The house above has very simple geometric decoration on the corners near the roofline and a fantastic lamp in the front garden styled as a lighthouse.

Another house has a stepped roofline but the central section steps down meaning the central section of the house is lower than each side. Often the central section is the highest point of a building.

A line just below the roofline with a stepped kink at the corners is just about the only decoration although it does continue around the side of the house.

The window sills have been painted to match this line creating a nice effect. The colour is also included around the base of the building effectively grounding the house on its lot.

The house shown below is my favourite. It is a handsome building with a curved central section at the front with other rooms within the house stepped back retaining their rectangular shape.

A series of simple, triangle based, elements provide the house with its decorative signature. The door is recessed into a deep porch and the steps in front of the door, although not visible in my photo, sit out from the front of the house taking up half the width of the path leading from the driveway.

The owners have done a fantastic job with this house right down to the topiary near the mailbox and marking the path to the front door.

When you go to Napier make sure you set aside enough time to have a leisurely stroll through the art deco suburb of Marewa.

Masson House, Napier

The city of Napier, on New Zealand's North Island, is a deco lovers delight. Most of the town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and the subsequent rebuilding program was mostly completed in Art Deco style.

Masson House was designed by E A Williams in 1931. It is a simple elegant two storey building with row of shopfronts at street level. The upper level has a series of windows with plain, almost old-fashioned decoration. Certainly the central window, which has the most decoration appears to have come from an earlier period.

The central section of the facade sits higher than the symetrical wings. Where these two elements join, there are three steps down in height but also three steps back from the street.

The most deco elements are the relief panels on each wing with a geometric wave pattern and the name of the building on the central section in lovely stylised lettering.

Second Most Beautiful McDonald's in the World

Yesterday I wrote about the most beautiful McDonald's in the world so today I thought I would show you the second most beautiful.

It is in Taradale, New Zealand and it is one of only two Art Deco McDonald's that I know of.

Like Clifton Hill, it was originally a pub, the Taradale Hotel.

The hotel originally openned in 1869 as the Duke of Edinburgh but was destroyed by fire in 1904. Rebuilt, it suffered a worse fate in the 1931 earthquake which devastated the Hawke's Bay area. Like many buildings in nearby Napier and Hastings, the pub was again rebuilt, this time in the style of the times, Art Deco.

In 1997, McDonald's were persuaded by the Art Deco Trust to retain the building and convert it to a restaurant rather than demolish it.

I believe one of the arguments used to persuade McDonald's was the fact that the building is included in Art Deco Napier: Styles of the thirtiesa very popular book by Peter Shaw & Peter Hallett which has undergone several reprints.

Did McDonald's want a picture of the old pub with a caption describing its demise or a picture their new Taradale restaurant. Sometimes the commercial argument is the clincher when trying to preserve and reuse older buildings.

Inside some of the deco features have survived including the cornice and this wonderful ceiling decoration (shown above).

The Most Beautiful McDonald's in the World

The McDonald’s restaurant in Clifton Hill, Melbourne is the most beautiful McDonald’s in the world.

Originally the United Kingdom Hotel, it was designed by architect James Hastie Wardrop and constructed 1937-38.

It is a spectacular art deco pub consisting of a central stepped fin and curved wings with deep rounded balconies. The windows overlooking the balconies are also curved.

Bands of different coloured bricks provide decoration on the ground floor.

The original side door on the left has been bricked in and a new door cut into the side wall where there was previously a small window.

Whatever you think of McDonald’s, it is fantastic that they were persuaded to keep this wonderful building and it has served as an example to help protect other buildings including the former Taradale Hotel in New Zealand which was also converted to a McDonald’s.

Apartment Building, Massawa

Massawa is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. It is hot, dusty and suffered a lot of damage during the Eritrean Struggle with Ethiopia.

The architecture reflects a lot of Arab influence but also shows some art deco style.

This apartment building shows both. The building curves around two corners with simple metal railings surrounding the balconies and flat roof. The balconies also act as shading for the windows below providing some relief in this harsh climate.

I'm not sure if the condition of the top floor is a result of bombing during The Struggle or whether it is being renovated. It is difficult to tell.

It doesn't help the general outlook of the building when all the wooden shutters are closed against the heat of the day.

The shape of the windows is lovely. The triangles above the standard rectangluar windows an balcony doors add a simple elegance. Even here you'll notice that the original design has been compromised by alterations. In the case of the lower flat, the triangle window has been filled in. At least it is still recessed so the shape can still be seen but it lacks something without the wooden slats.

Misi Company, Tulsa

The Misi Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma occupy a modest art deco building away from the downtown area.

I like the way all the decoration comes from the way the bricks have been laid.

The doorway is stepped back under a fantastic asymetrical pediment. Although it is mostly a large rectangular expanse of brick, there is decoration to provide some interest in the three recessed bands around one side and the curved tops to the columns on both sides.

The simple window is set into the corner of the building further breaking the hard lines of the bricks.

There is also interest in the circular step in at the door and the curved end to the concrete path in front of the lawn area.

It is a shame that there sign is a little too large and just a bit too close to the building but then I suppose they could of stuck it above the door whoch would have been much worse.

The Grand, Sun Theatre, Yarraville

When I was exploring the Sun Theatre this morning I spent most time taking photos in The Grand.

As with most of the other cinemas in the Sun Theatre complex, The Grand is named after a former local cinema and it lives up to its name.

Occupying the original stalls area of The Sun, this cinema has the most original art deco features. The picture above shows the amazing decorations of the walls near what is now the front of the auditorium.

The orientation of the seating has been switched in the Sun’s new configuration as a multi-plex. The original proscenium arch is now at the back surrounding the projection box. Even in the rather dark picture above you can see the complexity of the art deco details.

This picture shows it off a bit better including the metal ring ‘fence’ which separates the seating from the walls. It is a grand space in many ways.

I saw 21 in this cinema last week and almost tripped over my own feet looking back at the decoration rather than concentrating on where I was going. I think that is an acceptable risk for such a beautiful building.