Historic Collins Street in black & white from east end to west end

Part 1

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsAerial.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Collins1871.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsEastEnd1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/MelbourneClub.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsEast1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/BourkeandWills.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/1888Exhi-Parade.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsEast2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsLookWest2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/TownHallcnr.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral3.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsMarch.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/ArmyParade.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral5.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral4.jpg

Part 2

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CBCbank.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral6.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsandElizabeth.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CML1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral7.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsLookEast.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsWest1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsWest2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Rialto1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsWest3.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/FederalCoffee1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/AerialWest1.jpg

excellents sets of pics collector. love them all, really like melbourne's wide tree lined streets. really noice.

so cool :)
thanks

The first picture makes the street looks massive, because it's all low rise buildings and houses.

Ahh very nice shots.

What a resource you are Collector: despite our Melbourne nostalgia splurge earlier this year, I had seen hardly any of these before. Wonderful pics - Melbourne always looks Big Time. :)

Here's a pic of a Georges window display in Collins St, 1941, by Lyle Fowler, State Library of Victoria. Sorry everyone, its a slow-loading bmp. (edit - and photobucket reduced it) Helena Rubenstein products...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/Bronteboy/georges.bmp

The building in the center of this bothers me. It always does.
http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral2.jpg

What ever happened to it? Its kinda horrible but I imagine it was a bit of a landmark.

^ Do any of the buildings in this pic stand today? Looks great.

in this pic, you can see how much higher L&G Bldg was to Manchester Unity in foreground.The L&G was 76m/250ft and MU -64m/210ft.
you can also see the tremendous Colonial Mutual bldg of 1896 along Collins st also.The last of the boom scrapers. So photo is post 1930 but pre 1959.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsLookWest2.jpg

Colonial Mutual Life :( :( :(

Dan: the insides of it still exist ;)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/98333collins0904031.jpg

Dan, the inside of 333 Collins Street. :)
http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/333Collins.jpg

The insides of 333 collins belongs to Commercial Bank of Melbourne.
The Commercial bank of melb of 1891 was a 7storey structure which pediment reached 37m.
heres a pic>
http://cas.awm.gov.au/pls/PRD/ump.retrieve_uma?surl=505394882ZZZHNAVSICVYL&parm1=UMO_ID&parm2=410643&parm1=DISPLAY_TYPE&parm2=RAW&parm1=DISPLAY_WHAT&parm2=MASTER&parm1=LOGIN_TYPE&parm2=PROFILEG&parm1=AID&parm2=

The Colonial Mutual Life or Equitable Life Assurance of America stood on nth/west cnr of Collins & Elizabeth.

heres a pic in 1958, just months before its demolishment.
have you seen a finer looking scraper?
http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3264782-v
Its lavishness was the reason for its death. beacuse it was only 7storeys, it was still higher then height limit of 40m.it was 42m. Its site could hold alot higher bldg and the new HQ was to be a larger structure to house more people.
bring in the wrecking ball.
damn!

^ Do any of the buildings in this pic stand today? Looks great.

In the right hand side of tayser's picture you can see the only surviving exterior, minus the unusual dome.

ooh THATS the building that 333 absorbed.
Anyone got any recent photos of it? Before 333?

dan, as posted above it was Commercial bank of Melb. demolished in 1990. i think. cant find any recnt but.
ive also noticed walkingmelbourne hasnt even got it listed?

heres another angle. its the tall one in centre right with columns and triangular pediment.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral2.jpg

http://cas.awm.gov.au/pls/PRD/ump.retrieve_uma?surl=505394882ZZZHNAVSICVYL&parm1=UMO_ID&parm2=410643&parm1=DISPLAY_TYPE&parm2=RAW&parm1=DISPLAY_WHAT&parm2=MASTER&parm1=LOGIN_TYPE&parm2=PROFILEG&parm1=AID&parm2=

speaking of 333, was in there today with the best 'urbane' view I have ever seen, level 10, just above the rooftops of all the FLinders Lane stufflage, brilliant view of the East end right the way around to E & FWP, you'd all wet yourselves if you saw the view directly looking at Eureka, lozza would be beside himself ;)

A few more black and white postcards this time.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins6.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins5.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins4.jpg

Re: 333 Collins Street, I vaguely remember the building that was demolished for the current building as a stone facaded building about 40 to 50 metres high in a "moderne" or even art deco style. The original building's entry had been retained. I think it was possible to walk from Collins street to Flinders Lane in what was know as the Commercial Bank building.

great work, but heartbreaking, really. i'm always disturbed by the glorious streetscapes that we've ruined!!!

Three more black and white postcards

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins29.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins30.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Scots1.jpg

those last ones were taken between 1928-38. The T&G bldg has its original squat tower instead of the extended one erected in 1938.

3 more postcards

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins28.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins32.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins33.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Collins1935a.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Collins1935b.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Collins1935c.jpg
Improved the above three images from ones that Grollo originally posted.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/TownHall1.jpg
Melbourne Town Hall before the portico was added in 1888 and the auditorium enlarged in 1928.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/TownHallinterior.jpg
The interior of the old smaller Town Hall auditorium that was destroyed by fire in 1925.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/ANZCollinsSt.jpg
Former Bank of Australasia (later ANZ).

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsLookEast2.jpg
Taken in 1903, this view from the roof of the Bank of Australasia shows us the intersection of Collins and Queen Streets.
In the photograph above the ES&A bank on the left, with its fifteenth-century style windows, still stands as the ANZ international headquarters but the nine-storey Prell’s building (1889), on the right had a tower added in 1929 to become the APA building, Australia’s tallest, but the entire structure was demolished in 1969.

I love the ES&A Bank. It was designed by William Wardell,-architect of Melboures St pats cathedral & Sydney's St marys.
the last photo os a classic, before the 1938 enlargement of T&G BLdg. You can see the rooftop twin squat towers which stood from 1928-38 and replaced with a larger one.
tops

May I add a few? Scanned from a 1950s' book on Melbourne that I have.

Similar angle, but with some different additions across the street:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/379esabank2.JPG

ES&A's entrance on Collins.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/379esabankcollins.JPG


Gothika all in a row!! http://www.sayhey.co.uk/invboard/html/emoticons/wub.gif

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/379collinsstreet1.JPG

Loving the cars, the people and the signage.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/379collinsstreet2.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/379collinsstreet3.JPG

I just soooooo want to be there for a couple of hours!

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/379collinsstreet4.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/510/379collinsstreet5.JPG

One can clearly see The Victoria Coffee Palace with its remarkable balconies in this photograph of Collins Street.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsEast3.jpg

The first Georges store in Melbourne known back then as George and George was on the north side of Collins Street between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets.
It was lost due to fire on Friday the 13th of September 1889.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Georges1.jpg

The new Georges further east up on the north side of Collins Street between Swanston and Russell Streets.
We see it decorated in the photograph below for the 1954 Royal Visit.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Georges2.jpg

Georges with Decorations for the 1956 Olympic games.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Georges3.jpg

A cyclotorium occupied the entire top floor of Georges in the 1890s.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/GeorgesCyclotorium.jpg

Collins Street about 60 years ago.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral18.jpg

The Centreway Arcade about 100 years ago.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Centreway1.jpg

That's a really nice selection of new pics C. How great does Georges look with its Olympics decorations. And how about the coupe parked out the front. Awesome.

Cyclotorium: hilarious. God people were funny back then.

The below pic is very interesting too because it shows The MLC Building at street level. Don't suppose you have any closer pics of this building Collector? I've only ever seen pics of it from a distance.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins26.jpg

Don't suppose you have any closer pics of this building Collector? I've only ever seen pics of it from a distance.
http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins34.jpg
There is the identical building still standing in Sydney, if you want to see what it looked like in the flesh. :)
Cul, can you provide a pic if you have one?

MLC Building (Cul probably knows how high it was):

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/a/4/2/im/a42697.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictures/0/0/2/im/pi002228.jpg

They could have kept this and built the curved tower behind it, what a shame.

the bldg itself was 12st/40m.The tip of cnr tower was 52m.(flagstaff-58m).
Sydneys MLC was built 1938 and is 47m/11st with cnr tower @ 61m.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an23381812-v.jpg

BOO HOO! What did we do!!?? How beautiful are those pics, especially those on the first page, how Collins St has changed! Are people in another 100 years going to mourn the loss of the ugly 60 & 70's buildings we pull down now?
We really need to start work on a time machine, I would kill to be there just for an afternoon, and maybe stand in front of some of these fine building and protest in them being pulled down!

There's one for sale here.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Other/auction-36725938.htm

^^LOL! :lol:

The grand old lady had seen better days by the time this pic was taken:
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictures/0/0/3/im/pi003422.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictures/0/0/3/im/pi003312.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictures/0/0/3/im/pi003309.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictures/0/0/3/im/pi003306.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/a/4/2/im/a42696.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pcards/0/0/2/im/pc002847.jpg

Love this pic:
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/miscpics/0/2/4/im/mp024859.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/a/0/4/im/a04181.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/b/4/8/im/b48452.jpg

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/sjones/0/0/0/im/sj000715.jpg

its soooo sad to see all these buildings gone... just pathetic really how no one cared enough to even keep them... sooo angry!...

Considering that I work on Collins and walk down it every Monday to Friday, it is amazing to see the history of this street.

Great thread. You can't go wrong with Collins Street.

^^Great shots you found there Grollo. :)
Below, many more from me this time.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins27.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsEastEnd2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/PortlandHouse1.jpg

Above, Portland House, still standing.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsEast1946.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins26.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/MelbourneMansions1.jpg

Above, Melbourne Mansions, demolished to make way for the CRA building which in turn was demolished to make way for 101 Collins Street.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/1950sCollinsWalk.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/StMichael's1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins31.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsEast4.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/RegentandPlaza.jpg

Above we see the Regent Theatre as originally built, with the Plaza below.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Queen'sArcade1957.jpg

The Queen’s Arcade above facing Collins Street and below, one of the shops inside.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/ArcadeShop.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins20.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins15.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/PremierBuilding1.jpg

Above, the Premier building

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral21.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins19.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Australia1.jpg

Above, Hotel Australia ~ 1957, and below, the ceiling of Hotel Australia dining room.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Australia2.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/Australia3.jpg

Above we see the Tatler Newsreels Theatre and Cinema foyer in the Hotel Australia basement.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsLookEast3.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral20.jpg

Above, near Queen Street, World War 1 era.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/UnionANZBank.jpg

Above we see an old ANZ Bank, (formerly Union Bank of Australia), 351 Collins Street, built in 1878; the architects were Smith and Johnson of Melbourne, in association with Macvicar Anderson of London.
The top storey was increased in 1905, filling in between side rooms which had stood like pavilion towers as can be seen below.
It was demolished in 1966.
The two statues by R. Jackson, Britannia and Goddess were moved to ground floor corridor of the Architecture, Building & Planning building at Melbourne University.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral1.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CityMelBank.jpg

Above, the City of Melbourne bank, demolished long ago.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsCentral19.jpg

Above, the ANZ ‘GothicBank’, (formerly ES & A Bank), 287 Collins Street (north-east corner of Collins and Queen Streets).
Designed by William Wardell, this building has a richly ornate interior, finely worked masonry and meticulous detail.
Considered the finest secular Gothic Revival building in Australia.
It was built between 1883-87.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/TheArgus1.jpg

Above, the old Argus building, demolished.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/UnionMortgage.jpg

Above, the Union Mortgage bank, demolished.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/BankOfVictoria.jpg

Above, the Bank of Victoria, demolished.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/WesternMarket2.jpg

Above, The Western Market, demolished.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsWest4.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/CollinsWestWalk.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/McPherson's1.jpg

Above, the McPherson’s building, recently renovated.

Two more postcards below.

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/Edwardian/slides/Collins9.jpg

http://www.thecollectormm.com/gallery/postcards/1920s-1980s/slides/Collins35.jpg

Stop already! You're making me cry. :cry:

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7331/m004mediumgz5.jpg (http://imageshack.us) The CRA.....Melbournes tallest in the early 60's (101 Collins st site)

Does anyone really remember the Conzinc building? 26 storeys, 95m high, from the west end hill it really stood out all over Melbourne.

But apart from the brick side walls, it's height was increased by a full-width but somehow cheap-looking gray Besser-brick plant room on top. It's little forecourt was like a Greek suburban garden - a bit of lawn and paving, some kind of chintzy modern fountain, and a really mean little lift foyer. The pinkish beige cladding started to fade after about three months exposure to sunlight.

We thought it was great!

That pompous old fart (sir) Bernard Evans was responsible. I once had to ring him up for comment, when Phil The Greek had made a speech in Melbourne sharply criticising modern architecture. Bernard declined to respond. "After all, old chap," he said, "he is the Duke of Ediburgh."


This picture is by Wolfgang Seivers, and is in the State Library Collection.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/Bronteboy/pi0014511.jpg

Collins street ramblings ! http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/3387/m004mediumjy1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Red, that article of course is from Keith Dunstan's A Place In The Sun column in The Sun News Pictorial.

Sometimes, though, other writers stood in when Keith went on leave, and I'm sure that that's one in Keith's warm, and very recognizable style. He and Doug Wilke started the Anti-Football League. He was/is a great admirer of the Rialto towers from the river, btw.

Yes...I didn't mention 'place in the sun' aticles as I feel like a dinosaur here already.....I loved Dunstans wit...and words on anything Melbourne....I have so many of these articles.....hundreds!

Yes...I didn't mention 'place in the sun' aticles as I feel like a dinosaur here already.....I loved Dunstans wit...and words on anything Melbourne....I have so many of these articles.....hundreds!

You're not the only dinosaur. Of course Dunstan's trademark phrase was "the dear old (whatever). We're dear olds. And dinosaurs are good - we teach the young guys on this forum something of the history, and they teach us something new.

I love this picture:
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/miscpics/0/2/4/im/mp024859.jpg

Marvelous.

through years of studying early melb for my book, this little beauty was briefly Melbs tallest bldg!
The Premier Buildings was completed early part of 1887 and rose to an amazing 88ft/27m. does it still exist?
http://www.thecollectormm.com/private/PremierBuilding1.jpg

^^No, was demolished ~ 1960s, it was near the south-west corner of Swanston and Collins Streets. :bash:

damn. great little number. i loved how most had domed roofs with access and lookout balconies.the next to reach higher then this one still exists in Queen st (Lombard Building) completed later in 1887.
>>
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/jcollins/0/1/9/im/jc019541.jpg