Historic Architecture in Melbourne - another one bites the dust.

If there is on city that I would consider architecturally barbaric, it would have to be Melbourne.

Yes, Melbourne has a small amount of really cool new stuff but most, like Federation Square, are awfully try-hard and actually not that good.

My problem really though stems from what is destroyed so that such progress can be made. Melbourne was once one of the world's weathiest cities (think wealthy in a comparable way to modern-day Dubai), and the architecture of the day showed it.

Of course, walking around Melbourne now, you needn't ever know - the likes of Whelan the Wrecker helped bring the city down a few pegs. Gone are buildings like the Federal Coffee Palace, and gone are all the cast iron verandahs.

Sorry, I should apologise about the later - they weren't removed to be make the city look more modern. No, they were removed due to a new law in 1951, enacted to help avoid citizens accidentally walking into the poles holding them up!

As it stands, Melbourne can no longer hold itself up with it's collection of late 19th and early 20th century architecture. You'll see an awful lot more in Martin Place (Sydney), than you'll do in Collins Street.

Of course, you assume that people have learnt from the mistakes of the past. The thing is though - that's not the case. Victorian architecture tends to be relatively safe, but that which is newer is still in danger, in particular early modern and brutalist structures which most people don't (presently) appriciate.

Today's example WAS here:

Lonsdale house site, Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC 22 March 2011

Of course, two diggers on a pile of rubble don't tell you much - but I remember. Here's the current scene from the street:

Lonsdale house site, Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC 22 March 2011

Now, what was here was a nice little 5 story Streamline Moderne Art Deco number. This is what it looked like a few years back (not by photo):

Lonsdale house, Lonsdale St, Melbourne, 2010

The building of course wasn't in an ideal state, but, then, nore are the buildings right next to it which are having their facades overhauled as part of this new development.

Lonsdale house, as it was known, was of course in the councils heritage overlay, and was considered by the Art Deco and Modernism society to be one of Melbourne's most icon Art Deco buildings. (It was actually a rebuild of two existing buildings in 1934 by the architect IG Anderson).

So, you'd logically expect them to oppose the demolision? Of course not... the demolision was happily pushed through by city and state officials. In the process, the city even made $1.4 million by selling the neighbouring Caledonian laneway to Colonial Global Asset Management, who want to use the site for a loading dock, as well as using part of the site for a new Apple store.

The Emporium, Melbourne, Proposal

So, a new 240 store shopping mall - just what the city needs. Do they genuinely believe that people genuinely come to Melbourne because the shopping in the malls is so much better than the other malls (like the malls in suburbs like Chadstone, or the likes of Westfield in Sydney).

I don't think that's the case at all. If people come to Melbourne to shop, it's either (a) because they were already in Melbourne for some other reason, or (b) because they actually want to shop in different shops, which can still be found in the laneways that these sorts of developments destroy.

It saddens me that no "solution" could be found to this other than demolition. It seems to me that it would have been reasonable to maintain the facade and tower of the Lonsdale building, and simply make the loading dock more accessible from the back, that is, Little Burke Street. But then again - money talks.

At least if the new development is built to a high standard, I can be OK with it. If it turns out like the Melbourne Central complex accross the road (built by Daimaru, the Japanese department store who've since left), I'll be rather depressed.

Melbourne Central (formerly Daimaru), Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC 22 March 2011