Edificio Petronio, Copacabana

This is the foyer of Edificio Petronio in Copacabana.

N Le Bakery, Leongatha

The N Le Bakery in Leongatha looks rather plain from a distance.

A closer look will reveal some Egyptian style touches. The top corners of the building, painted white, are typically Egyptian. The windows on the upper floor have three stone feathers as decoration but the best decoration is in the balcony area especially the capitals of the columns.

And there is something behind the N Le Bakery sign. You can just see the top edge of it in the first picture. Perhaps it is a window. I'll have to go back and see if I can get a better look at it from further up the street.

A House in Warragul

A lovely deco house in Warragul. Great gate posts, replicated on the porch. A strip of garden outside the hedge next to the footpath. Inlaid coloured brick for decoration.

There's a lot going on including that old hubcap on the gate. It must have a practical use. I can see the owners smashing into it with their shopping jeep into that hubcap to protect the gate and open it at the same time. At least I hope that is the genius behind the addition.

Best wishes and peace to everyone this Christmas time!

PS: Did I mention that this house is in Peace Avenue.

PPS: If you want to know more about shopping jeeps have a look at Kitty and the Cartwheelers’ Shopping Jeep Bonanza, a short film by Michaela French from 1996.

former CBC Bank, Warragul

This handsome building at 5 Smith St, Warragul in recent times was the offices of M Davine & Co Solicitors. It is currently for sale.

In 1939 the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney (CBC) built it as their Warragul branch. CBC merged with the National Bank of Australia in 1981 undergoing some name chances in the subsequent few years to emerge as the National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB).

The branch closed in 1982.

Reference:
List of CBC Branches, CBC Officers Club Inc website (http://www.cbcbank.com.au)

Shangri-La, Warragul

I am enjoying exploring my new home town of Warragul searching out Art Deco buildings.

This is a lovely Streamline Moderne house in Albert Street. I like the use of contrasting brick colouring to provide a dark foundation for the house and simple detailing across the façade and the windowsills.

Then could there be a more Deco name than Shangri-La?

GMH Social Centre, Port Melbourne

I wrote about this lovely little building in July 2008.

At the time I knew that it was the Social Centre for General Motors Holden at Fishermens's Bend and I'd been lucky to visit there in 1996 and get a guided tour from the Centre manager. But I didn't know when it had been built.

The highlight of my visit was seeing the History of Transport murals by GMH employee, Eileen Robertson, located at either end of the canteen service area. You can see them in this photo and there are closer views on my previous post.

This week, however, I have been doing some work with the City of Port Melbourne Building Permits Register and was delighted to come across a entry dated 31st January 1945 for a canteen to be built for General Motors Holden by Richmond builder E A Watts.

So now I have my date. The GMH Social Centre was built in 1945.

Wall & Garden, Camberwell

A good example of a terraced garden and low stepped wall on the 1930s Golflinks Estate in Camberwell.

former Victoria Car Park, Melbourne

former Victoria Car Park, Russell St frontage

Melbourne's first commercial car park, Victoria Car Park, designed by architect Marcus Barlow was built in 1938. It has two street frontages. In Russell Street (above) and Little Collins Street (below) both in Art Deco style.

The car park is in the same block as Scots Church and is now owned by Scots Church Properties Trust who have long sought to demolish the car park to allow commercial re-development of this prominent city corner.

Despite being listed by Heritage Victoria in 2002 the Church was eventually successful in 2007 in obtaining permission from then Minister for Planning, Justin Madden, for the development of a tower block that would incorporate the Little Collins Street car park frontage but also the demolition of the Russell Street frontage. The Art Deco & Modernism Society unsuccessfully fought to save the whole building.

former Victoria Car Park, Lt Collins St frontage

The other day, the Herald-Sun reported that Westpac bank will move their Victorian headquarters to a glass tower that will be developed by Grocon on this site.

It is four years since former Minister Madden made his ruling so we have enjoyed this Marcus Barlow design for that time but alas it won't be around for much longer. Certainly not as it is now. So if you happen to be in Melbourne in the next short while take a hike up to Russell Street and have a good look before it disappears.

Reference:
Preservation - former Victoria Car Park, ADMS website