Heritage

20th Century Architecture Tour

Flinders Street Railway Complex

Former Police Headquarters Complex

Former Olympic Swimming Stadium

Sidney Myer Music Bowl 1956-59

The 20th century saw many aesthetic, engineering and technological developments in architecture. Throughout Melbourne there are many wonderful examples of the innovation and beauty of modern architecture.

Despite their relative youth, many buildings from the last century hold significant heritage value, due to their unique or noteworthy designs, or because they have played an important role in our community.

The best way to explore some of the more significant examples of Melbourne's 20th century heritage is on foot or by tram. All are within easy reach of the other.

8 sites selected for this tour have been chosen for several reasons.

Selected for their cultural heritage significance.
Listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Several are registered by the National Trust.
A number have been nominated for the Royal Australian Institute of Architects 20th century National Register.
The buildings have served a range of functions that includes transport, commercial, residential, sport and recreation, entertainment and the arts.
The buildings represent various architectural styles.

Walking tour map (107kb)

Flinders Street Railway Complex

Flinders St Station

Architect/Designer: James Fawcett

Architectural Style: Federation/Edwardian Period [1902-c.1918]

Flinders Street Railway Complex is one of the most important public buildings in Victoria, and one of the great railway buildings of the 20th century. Described by its architects as 'French Renaissance in a free manner', the design of the station encompasses a range of stylistic sources including internal Art Nouveau features.

As well as being architecturally significant, Flinders Street Station is historically significant as symbol of the importance of railway infrastructure. It is possibly the best known and most heavily used public building in Melbourne with the steps under the clocks being a popular meeting place for generations of Melburnians.

Capitol House

Architect/Designer: Walter Burley Griffin

Architectural Style: Interwar Period [c.1919-c.1940]

Capitol House, as originally designed, comprised offices, extensive lobbies, lounges, grand staircases and a huge cinema seating 2000 people. It still retains much of its integrity despite alterations in 1965. Efforts have been made to restore its remaining original features. It was designed by Walter Burley Griffin in association with his wife, Marion Mahony. The concept of combining offices, shops and a cinema was advanced for its time. The Capitol Cinema is significant for its role in the popularisation of cinema in Victoria. It is of particular aesthetic significance because of the innovative treatment of the interior and its ever changing lighting effects.

Manchester Unity Building

Architect/Designer: Marcus R Barlow

Architectural Style: Interwar Period [c.1919-c.1940]

Designed in a modern gothic style, the Manchester Unity Building was a daring creation that challenged height limits and became the tallest building in Melbourne in 1932. It was the first building in Victoria to have escalators and the largest diesel generator [at its time] in Australia to power three high speed lifts. It was built on such a grand scale and so quickly that it helped to convince Melburnians that the building slump caused by the 1930's depression was over.

Former Police Headquarters Complex

Architect/Designer: Percy Everett

Architectural Style: Interwar Period [c.1919-c.1940]

Constructed in 1943 the former Police Headquarters Complex in Russell Street is significant as a rare, surviving example of an early stepped geometric New York or Los Angeles style skyscraper. The reinforced concrete construction and cream brick curtain walls, combined with the radio mast, epitomized the moderne style. For some time, this building was one of the tallest buildings in Melbourne and was regarded as a major symbol of law and order in the state.

Former Olympic Swimming Stadium

Architect/Designer: Kevin Borland, Peter McIntyre, John and Phyllis Murphy

Architectural Style: Mid-Twentieth Century [1940-1960] Structuralist

The Olympic Pool, built for the 1956 Olympic Games, is significant as an influential landmark in the development of Structuralist architecture in the post-war period. Its construction technique and original design was acclaimed locally and internationally. Also of significance is the large ceramic sculpture," Olympic Pylon" by Arthur Boyd that is adjacent to the building.

Former ICI House 1955-58

Architect/Designer: Bates, Smart and McCutcheon

Architectural Style: Mid-Twentieth Century [1940-1960] International

From its completion in 1958 and until 1961, ICI House was the tallest building in Australia. Its design reflected an international aesthetic and continued development in modernism inspired by the work of Mies Van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, among others. This elegant structure utilised sheer curtain walls and innovative use of concrete which reflected considerable advancement in local construction techniques. The building epitomized a time when corporate image could be expressed architecturally and technologically to signal an exciting future.

Sidney Myer Music Bowl 1956-59

Architect/Designer: Yunken, Freeman, Griffiths and Simpson

Architectural Style: Mid-Twentieth Century [1940-1960] Structuralist

The Sidney Myer Music Bowl project came about through the auspices of the Sidney Myer Charitable Trust which was established upon the death of the founder of the Myer Department Store Empire. The Bowl was constructed during a period of experimentation in new forms of construction. The shell was designed to be acoustically correct, and sought to integrate the built and the natural elements of the surroundings. The Bowl is famous throughout Australia and it has been a long serving venue for a variety of cultural and performance events.

National Gallery of Victoria

Architect/Designer: Roy Grounds

Architectural Style: Modern Classicism/Asiatic

The National Gallery of Victoria (1968) is one of the major works by architect Roy Grounds. With Robin Boyd and Frederick Romberg, Grounds was one of the most influential pioneers of modern architecture in Victoria. The design is based on simple geometric forms with a single archway entrance and the iconic waterwall window.

Inside, the Great Hall is dominated by a coloured glass ceiling designed by Leonard French. The National Gallery of Victoria is of significance as an architectural and cultural landmark in Melbourne.

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