Argus Building: cnr Lonsdale and Elizabeth Streets, MELBOURNE

Building Profile

Location

Construction Details

Built in the Interwar period in the Beaux Arts style

Notable features

This Argus building is a fantastic combination of many of the Interwar styles, a Stripped Classical composition with Beaux-Arts, Chicagoesque and Moderne influences. A stuningly regal classical cooling tower is a prominent feature of the Argus building.

History

The Argus Building the former headquarters of Melbournes Argus newspaper, one of the citys most popular until the 1960s.

In the 1980s a cement render was applied to the facade of the building, changing the texture of the stone facade.

In 2004, La Trobe University purchased the building with the view of restoring it and use it as a CBD campus.  The  plans included completing the clock tower of the original design.  However the costs of renovating the building and removing asbestos proved too high and the university sold the building late in 2008.

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