Melbourne & Australian Architecture Topics

Melbourne’s lost Skyscrapers and other talls


Finks Building completed in 1888 and demolished in 1960.
The photographs above and below show it surviving one of Melbourne’s biggest ever fires.



The Royal insurance Building, Collins Street, Melbourne.


Prell’s Building, southeast corner of Queen and Collins Streets.


Sun Insurance Buildings, southeast corner of Queen Street and Flinders Lane.
The Royal Exchange Assurance Building, northeast corner of Queen Street and Flinders Lane.
APA Building built in 1929 and demolished in 1969, southeast corner of Queen and Collins Streets.


CML Building was completed in 1893 and demolished in 1960, northwest corner of Collins and Elizabeth Streets.


Above and below, The Australian Building, northwest corner of Elizabeth Street and Flinders Lane.
Built in 1889 and demolished in 1980.



Leonard House, 44-46 Elizabeth Street.
Designed by Walter Burley Griffin, completed in 1924 and demolished after fire damage in 1976.


Shell House, northwest corner of Collins and William Streets.
Demolished in the 1980s.


Gas & Fuel corporation Towers, completed in 1967 and demolished in 1997 to make way for Federation Square.


CRA Building can be seen in this photograph I took way back in 1982 between Nauru House and the Collins Place Towers, built in 1963 and demolished in 1992.
The majestic 101 Collins Street now stands in its place.

_________________
The Collector's Marvellous Melbourne

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/

I love you collection postings TheCollector

Some sad demolitions in there. The Finks Building certainly seemed to have had a great presence and the detail that went into the Royal Insurance Building I can only admire. But why either the Colonial or the Australian were demolished I'll never understand

The loss of the Australian Building was a Crime. It was a great building that did not need to be demolished and its replacement is dreadful. I tried to fight its demolition but as a 17 year old was unable to do much. I explored it top to bottom before demolition. Perhaps those that perpetrated these crimes of demolition in our city should be made replace those buildings that they demolished at their own expense. The Australian Building was owned by A.P.A Insurance in Sydney who did not care about Melbourne or her heritage. They have a lot to answer for.

Here here !

I can only join in the laments over the APA building by pointing out that the Historic Buildings Preservation Council (as it was known in those days) was joint party to signing off the permit consigning that building to oblivion, and that the National Trust did not bother to turn up to the hearings about it and so were way too late (as usual) to protest.

Honestly, its a miracle we have any historic buildings left in Melbourne and a lot of them are there now more by accident than by any organized effort. I once saw plans and renderings to replace the entire Block Arcade with an office tower with exactly the same justification used to destroy the APA building and it was a more of a near thing than Melbourne ever realised.

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George Nipper, Esq.

Its not the destination; its the journey.

Our once great Elizabeth Street 19th Century Skyscraper gone forever.



Another shot of the Prell’s Building, south-east corner of Collins and Queen Streets.

_________________
The Collector's Marvellous Melbourne

http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/