Melbourne Mansions
Encyclopedia
Melbourne Mansions was a five-storey apartment
building located in Collins Street
in Melbourne, Australia
. Constructed in 1906, it is thought to have been the first purpose-built residential apartment block in the city.
Designed in the Art Nouveau
style by the architectural partnership of Walter Butler
and George Inskip for newspaper proprietor David Syme
, its facade
featured oriel window
s and arch
es. The basement and ground levels had shops and medical rooms while the floors above housed thirty apartments. Meals were served to residents at a common dining room and serveries on each floor.
The building was sold in 1949, and demolished in 1958 by Whelan the Wrecker
, making way for the 26-storey CRA Building
. This was described at the time by journalist Keith Dunstan
as "breaking the rhythm" of the so-called "Paris end" of Collins Street.
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
building located in Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
in Melbourne, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Constructed in 1906, it is thought to have been the first purpose-built residential apartment block in the city.
Designed in the Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
style by the architectural partnership of Walter Butler
Walter Butler (architect)
Walter Richmond Butler , was an Australian architect trained in the Arts and Crafts style, born in Somerset, England.-Personal life:...
and George Inskip for newspaper proprietor David Syme
David Syme
David Syme was a Scottish-Australian newspaper proprietor of The Age and regarded as "the father of protection in Australia" who had immense influence in the Government of Victoria.-Early life and family:...
, its facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
featured oriel window
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
s and arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es. The basement and ground levels had shops and medical rooms while the floors above housed thirty apartments. Meals were served to residents at a common dining room and serveries on each floor.
The building was sold in 1949, and demolished in 1958 by Whelan the Wrecker
Whelan the Wrecker
Whelan the Wrecker is a demolition company based in Melbourne which became infamous in the 1960s and later in the 1980s for its role in the destruction of much of the grand Victorian buildings of Marvellous Melbourne that the city had become famous for, many of them along Collins Street's "golden...
, making way for the 26-storey CRA Building
CRA Building
The CRA Building was the tallest building in Melbourne, Australia. between the completion of its construction in 1962 and 1969 when AMP Square was constructed...
. This was described at the time by journalist Keith Dunstan
Keith Dunstan
Keith Dunstan OAM is an Australian journalist and author born in Melbourne, Australia, the son of William Dunstan VC and Marjorie Dunstan. He attended Geelong Grammar School and was a Flight Lieutenant in 1943-46 with the Royal Australian Air Force, stationed at Labuan in the Pacific...
as "breaking the rhythm" of the so-called "Paris end" of Collins Street.