Peter Andrew Barrett - Architectural and Urban Historian, Writer & Curator

Peter Andrew Barrett - Architectural and Urban Historian, Writer & Curator Architectural and Urban Historian, Heritage Consultant, Writer and Exhibition Curator Please stay on topic. I hope that you enjoy the posts.

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Provident Institute of Victoria85 Queen Street, MelbourneThis handsome building once stood on the west side of Queen Str...
31/07/2025

Provident Institute of Victoria
85 Queen Street, Melbourne

This handsome building once stood on the west side of Queen Street, a little north of Collins Street. It housed several financial institutions in its brief and eventful life, and watched its environs develop during the late nineteenth century into the financial hub of the city.

The façade of this building is designed in a Renaissance Revival-style, the composition referencing a palazzo with its rusticated ground floor, detailed piano nobile (middle level), and attic level. The façade has a bold cornice and parapet that tops what is a well-detailed composition of elements of fine proportions. The architect of the Provident Institute of Victoria building is not known, but around the time of its completion two architects, Edward Ramsey and a J Flannagan, occupied the building. Of interest also, is the chimney of the building at right, which has been extended to project past the top of the wall of the Provident Institute building.

Although modest in scale and character, the Provident Institute building retained a landmark quality in this part of Queen Street for several decades. This was not so much because of its architectural character, but through controversy associated with the Provident Institute. Formed in 1855, this firm was a short-lived banking and investment institution, aimed at providing these services to individuals and small investors. The firm was insolvent by the early 1860s, the Argus newspaper describing the venture as ‘nothing more than an organised association for plundering the public’.

In a case of history repeating itself, the Provident Institute of Victoria scandal would occur again, but on a grander scale in the 1890s, when a number of banks and building societies would become insolvent through mismanagement and, in many cases, dishonest business practices aka greed.

In the 1860s the building, in part, was occupied by the Agra and United Services Bank. London-based, this bank had agencies in India, China and what was then called the East Indies (islands off mainland southeast Asia). The opening of the Melbourne branch of the Agra Bank afforded the city’s merchants with money exchange facilities with these lucrative Southeast Asian markets. Later, the building was occupied by Australian Mutual Provident (AMP) and Royal Insurance.

In 1874, the top floor of the building was the scene of a bombing, which killed one man and injured another. A deadly package containing a bottle of nitro glycerine was left by a person(s) unknown outside the door of an office. The force of the explosion blew out the glass of the windows of the upper level into Queen Street.

The Provident Institute of Victoria building was demolished and the site redeveloped around 1900. This building, in its short and tumultuous existence, witnessed this part of Queen Street, around its Collins Street intersection, evolve into Melbourne’s financial centre, defined by larger and grander buildings such as the Bank of Australasia (1876, and later additions), ES&A Bank and Stock Exchange (1887), National Mutual Life Association (1893), all of which remain.

Photographer: Cox & Luckin
Source of photograph: State Library of Victoria

A snapshot of Bourke Street, Melbournec1940This casual street scene of Bourke Street was taken around 1940. The photogra...
26/07/2025

A snapshot of Bourke Street, Melbourne
c1940

This casual street scene of Bourke Street was taken around 1940. The photograph looks southwest towards the intersection of Elizabeth and Bourke streets. Several things visible in the photograph narrow down its approximate date. What looks to be an RAAF serviceman is visible walking at right wearing his tilted forage cap. World War II had commenced on 1 September 1939. Visible at centre is a cable tram, and another is visible on the opposite side of the intersection. Cable trams would cease operation along Bourke Street on 26 October 1940.

The building in the background, bathed in sunlight, is the head office of the State Savings Bank of Victoria. Built in stages, its final stage where it was extended along Elizabeth Street to the Bourke Street corner was completed in mid 1935. Visible to its right, in Bourke Street, are the Metropole Hotel and Halls Book Store. These buildings, with the State Savings Bank, were demolished in the 1970s to build what was at its time of completion called the 'State Bank Centre'.

Further right, visible on the Bourke Street hill is the John Danks building, which in later years became a McEwans hardware store, and more recently has been integrated into the NAB Place development at 395 Bourke Street. The building in shadow at the left of the image is London Stores, this building still stands at that corner. By the time this photograph was taken, the City of Melbourne was enforcing parking restrictions in this part of the city, demonstrated by the sign in the foreground at left. This restriction on cars was perhaps a precursor to the total removal of cars from this block of Bourke Street in the 1970s.

This photograph was taken at the steps of the General Post Office (GPO), which the woman in the foreground is stepping down from. Although the former General Post Office now serves as a shopping complex, the steps of the GPO remain a fine place to stand or sit and to watch the world go by, just as it did when this image was made over 80 years ago.

Photographer: Not known
Source of Photograph: State Library of Victoria

Open House Melbourne 26 and 27 July 2025Stories of the City ExhibitionMany interesting places are open this weekend as p...
26/07/2025

Open House Melbourne
26 and 27 July 2025

Stories of the City Exhibition

Many interesting places are open this weekend as part of Open House Melbourne.

If visiting the iconic ICI / Orica Building, be sure to visit the 'Stories of the City' Exhibition at the Bates Smart Gallery. Add your own story to this interactive exhibition.

The Bates Smart Gallery is on the ground floor of ICI / Orica Building, entered from Albert Street.

ICI / Orica House
1 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne

Melbournec1950This photograph was taken from the T&G Building, looking northeast c1950. At centre, and dominating the sk...
21/07/2025

Melbourne
c1950

This photograph was taken from the T&G Building, looking northeast c1950.

At centre, and dominating the skyline of Eastern Hill, is St Patrick’s Cathedral. Its prominence was diminished in the coming decades by high-rise development in its environs. At right, partially visible, is the Treasury Building, closing the vista along Collins Street as it still does.

The Art Deco or Moderne building in the foreground is Centenary Hall, at the corner of Exhibition and Little Collins Streets. The pair of masts visible at left are associated with Radio Station 3UZ, whose studios were at 45 Bourke Street. Framed by the 3UZ masts, is the tower of Eastern Hill Fire Station.

The clouds and the blue tones of the sky, much of which take up the composition of this photograph, give the image a dreamlike quality.

Photographer: Evan Luly
Source of Photograph: University of Melbourne History Workshop

Collins Street, Melbournec1960A mid-late twentieth century view of the south side of Collins Street, just west of Willia...
14/07/2025

Collins Street, Melbourne
c1960

A mid-late twentieth century view of the south side of Collins Street, just west of William Street.

The rigorous application of decoration on the Olderfleet Building (centre), added with its Gothic Revival-styling, contrasts with its adjoining neighbours, which have Classically-inspired facades with more restraint in their detailing. These being the Record Chambers (right), and Cornwall House (left) renamed by that time the Standard Insurance Building.

Partially visible at left is the City Mutual Life Assurance Building. It was built by AMP in 1906, and sold to City Mutual when AMP moved to new premises at the corner of Market and Collins Streets in 1930. The AMP/City Mutual building was designed in an Edwardian Baroque-style, it was a fine example of this style in Melbourne, and an imposing commercial building at the Collins and William streets corner.

In the coming decades, this block of Collins Street underwent a significant amount of change. The facades of the Olderfleet and Record Chambers were retained and the rear of their sites redeveloped. Further west, the Rialto development saw the removal of Robbs Building at the King Street corner. The demolition of the Cornwall and the AMP/City Mutual buildings around 1970, had a significant impact upon the character of this end of this block seen to the left of the photograph.

Photographer: Not known
Source of photograph: State Library of Victoria

Union Bank of Australia306 Little Collins Street, MelbourneThis building, situated on a corner site with a narrow fronta...
09/07/2025

Union Bank of Australia
306 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

This building, situated on a corner site with a narrow frontage to Little Collins Street, was completed in 1939. Built for the Union Bank of Australia, it contained on its ground floor a banking chamber, and shops were built along its longer frontage to The Causeway. The seven upper levels of the building were let by the bank to various tenants.

The curved bronze doors on the ground floor, adjacent to the Little Collins Street and The Causeway corner, slid into wall recesses when opened. This was a feature of the building noted at the time of its completion in the press. The narrow width of the site allowed for a single-span of beams which enabled the interiors of the building to be column-free. The ground floor is setback a small distance from the street boundary to provide additional space for pedestrians, which was a requirement of the City of Melbourne. The upper levels project forward towards the property line.

Despite its narrow frontage to Little Collins Street, the building is a noteworthy element in this block. Its contribution to its environs is reinforced by the fine Classically-inspired detailing of its façade, albeit, applied with restraint. The building was designed by the architectural firm of A & K Henderson, and the contractor of the works was Hansen & Yuncken. The Union Bank of Australia merged with the Bank of Australasia in 1951, to form the ANZ Bank.

Photographer: Lyle Fowler
Source of Photographs: State Library of Victoria

Wool Exchange HotelCorner King and Bourke streets, MelbourneThis photograph shows the Wool Exchange Hotel in early 1973,...
02/07/2025

Wool Exchange Hotel
Corner King and Bourke streets, Melbourne

This photograph shows the Wool Exchange Hotel in early 1973, as demolition works commence. The Wool Exchange Hotel was on the southeast corner of the intersection of King and Bourke streets. Opened in 1930, it replaced an earlier hotel at this corner, the Rose of Australia. The Wool Exchange Hotel derived its name from the Wool Exchange, one block south at the corner of King and Little Collins streets (that building still exists).

The Wool Exchange Hotel served as a residential hotel, but also for interstate and country travellers to Melbourne, conveniently located just one block from Spencer Street Station. It offered its guest central heating, hot and cold water in each room, and described that 'home cooking' was its 'speciality'.

At the time of its closure, the hotel had a number of bars on its ground floor including a Club Bar, Saloon Bar and Public Bar. The Wool Exchange Hotel was replaced by the existing 11 level Modern commercial building at this corner. The tower visible at its rear in this photograph, is 500 Collins Street, completed in the early 1970s.

Photographer: Peter J Vincent
Source of Photograph: Peter J Vincent Collection

Federal Hotel, MelbourneSouthwest corner of Collins and King streetsThis photograph shows a portion of the façade of the...
28/06/2025

Federal Hotel, Melbourne
Southwest corner of Collins and King streets

This photograph shows a portion of the façade of the Federal Hotel. It is one of a series of photographs of the building by Colin Caldwell, taken in the 1960s a decade before the hotel’s closure and demolition.

The photograph shows the rigorous application of decoration above the arched recessed Collins Street entrance. This, and the recessed balconies of the upper levels, create a depth to the façade. The balconies themselves creating an interesting effect of contrasting light and shade. The small opening in the tympanum (triangular element at top) is unusual, and of interest is the signage above the entrance written in French ‘restez ici’ (stay here) and ‘soyez le bienvenu’ (you are welcome).

Built as a coffee palace, at the time of its opening in 1888, the building was described as one of the architectural features of Melbourne. The design of its striking exterior is attributed to the architectural firm of Ellerker & Kilburn, the interior of the building was designed by architect, William Pitt.

Demolished in 1973, it was replaced by a relatively unremarkable office tower, which in turn has been demolished and the site again redeveloped. The demolition of the Federal Hotel is arguably one of the significant losses to the built environment of Melbourne.

Photographer: Colin Caldwell
Source of Photograph: State Library of Victoria

George Robertson & Co384-390 Little Collins Street, MelbourneThis imposing building formerly stood at the northwest corn...
02/04/2025

George Robertson & Co
384-390 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

This imposing building formerly stood at the northwest corner of Little Collins and McKillop streets, Melbourne. It was built in 1872 by the bookseller and publisher, George Robertson & Co, as a warehouse, and for its manufacturing business which included lithographs, bookbinding and stationery. The bookseller’s retail business was conducted close by at 89 Elizabeth Street.

This four-storey building was designed by the prominent nineteenth century architect, Lloyd Tayler. The façade that faced Little Collins Street is well-proportioned, and contrasts with the bold parapet that surmounts it, which as a sum make a robust composition. On its completion, the building was noted for its contribution to the architectural character of this portion of Little Collins Street.

At right, can be seen the McKillop Street elevation of the building, which takes on a less formal and more utilitarian character than the front. Visible is the hoist for moving goods between the street and the upper levels. Robertson was weary of including a lift in the building for safety reasons. Further north along McKillop Street is visible older stone warehouses, which were also used by George Robertson & Co.

George Robertson died in 1898. The firm became Robertson and Mullens in the 1920s, and this Little Collins Street building was demolished around 1939 to build the existing building on the site. This existing building was in turn remodelled and converted into apartments in the 1990s.

Source of photograph: State Library of Victoria

Liverpool BuildingsCorner of William and Bourke Streets, MelbourneFor much of the twentieth century this building and th...
14/03/2025

Liverpool Buildings
Corner of William and Bourke Streets, Melbourne

For much of the twentieth century this building and this site at the northwest corner of Bourke and William streets was associated with the Shell Oil Company. In fact, for much of that time the site and its building(s) were known as 'Shell Corner' - the name visible in this 1950s photograph.

The corner building was built in 1906 as a speculative office building. It was initially called the Liverpool Buildings by its owner, Nathaniel Levi, who was a native of Liverpool that arrived in Victoria during the gold rush. An early tenant of the building was CSR (the Colonial Sugar Refining company).

The building was designed by the prolific architect, Nahum Barnet. The contractor of the works was John Carter. The four-storey plus basement building was faced in red brick, relieved in render, and had a distinct oriel bay at its corner adjacent to the intersection of William and Bourke streets. Its arched facades demonstrate Romanesque Revival influence, a style popular around this time.

The British Imperial Oil Company purchased the Liverpool Buildings in the mid 1920s. In 1927, the company was renamed Shell after it amalgamated with Neptune Oil. It is around this time that the site and the Liverpool Buildings became known as Shell Corner. The firm purchased neighbouring sites, and in 1933 built the Art Deco building next door in William Street (visible to the right).

The Art Deco building was planned to extend to the corner on the site of the Liverpool Buildings, but this was never completed. Instead, redevelopment of the corner site was realised in the late 1950s, when Shell redeveloped the Liverpool Buildings site with one of the city's earliest and finest modernist freestanding towers.

In turn, the 1950s corner tower and the 1933 Art Deco block were demolished around 1990, and for some years the site remained vacant, until the existing complex on the site - the CGU Building - was commenced. It is a site that has witnessed many sad losses of buildings over the years, buildings that contributed much to Melbourne's built environment.

Photograph: State Library of Victoria

NormanhurstFlinders and Exhibition streets, MelbourneThis photograph shows the house Normanhurst and its grounds, which ...
13/02/2025

Normanhurst
Flinders and Exhibition streets, Melbourne

This photograph shows the house Normanhurst and its grounds, which were redeveloped in the early 1920s to build the Herald & Weekly Times building at the northeast corner of Flinders and Exhibition streets. This photograph was probably taken around September 1921, when workmen are described in an article as clearing the garden of Normanhurst. This large garden extended from the house down the hill to Flinders Street. The grounds were enclosed by a high brick fence built upon a bluestone base.

Normanhurst had two-storeys plus a basement. Built in 1857, it is an early example of an Italianate-style mansion, a style more commonly associated with the later decades of the nineteenth century, particularly the Land Boom. Its difference to many of the later examples of this type of mansion, is its restraint in the use of architectural embellishment.

Over the years, Normanhurst had served a few purposes. Initially, it was the home of a solicitor, and for a time it was a military club. From 1895, until its demolition, it was used as a boarding house.

The Herald & Weekly Times sold the northwest portion of the site occupied by the house to the clothing manufacturer, Alley Brothers. That firm built around 1923 the Alley Building, which still stands at the southeast corner of Exhibition Street and Flinders Lane. The Herald described the Alley Building as a ‘handsome neighbour’ for their new building. The Alley and the Herald buildings do complement each other in scale, albeit the Herald more robust in its architectural expression.

The Herald & Weekly Times redeveloped the remainder of the site, adjacent to Flinders Street, where they built the first stage of their new newspaper office. At the time of its completion in 1923, it was described as the largest newspaper office in Australia. The Flinders Street frontage was doubled in length within five years of the completion of this first stage, due to the growth of this media organisation.

The surrounding houses visible in this photograph, including the three-storey Rochester Lodge (at top left), show that this part of the city remained residential in use and character up until at least the inter-war period, and from then it began to take on a more commercial use. In a history repeats itself scenario, the adaptive re-use of the former Herald & Weekly Times building as apartments in recent years, and other nearby residential development, mark a shift in this part of the city to a return to residential use.

Source of Photograph: Not known.

National Mutual Life Association buildingBallaratThe foundation stone for this building, built for the National Mutual L...
21/01/2025

National Mutual Life Association building
Ballarat

The foundation stone for this building, built for the National Mutual Life Association, was laid at the end of 1904 and the building was officially opened mid-1906. The design is attributed to the architects JJ and EJ Clark of Melbourne. It was JJ Clark who designed the Melbourne and Brisbane Treasury Buildings. The contractor of the Ballarat National Mutual building was Peter Roger.

This building at the prominent Ballarat intersection of Sturt and Lydiard streets, is a landmark in this city in terms of its scale and its ornate facade expressed in a Venetian Gothic Revival-style. It contrasts with the more chaste character of the surrounding Classical Revival-style mid and late nineteenth century Victorian architecture.

The building's octagonal tower today looks a little unresolved, as if it was hastily added as an afterthought (see colour image). However, this tower once formed the base of a larger ornate domed roof and a flagpole, which was viewed as the backdrop of a roofline defined with squat mansard roofed elements at each corner (see early black and white image). These mansard roofs have since been removed also.

Source of Photographs:

Ballarat Historical Project page (Black and white photograph).
Peter Andrew Barrett Collection (Colour photograph)

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