CBD > Emporium

[John_Proctor]

Does being on the cover of a book automatically make it 'important'.

I wouldn't have even said its in the top 10 art deco buildings in Melbourne.

anyway no point continuing the argument... carry on.

[AUboy]

Originally Posted by John_Proctor

Does being on the cover of a book automatically make it 'important'.

I wouldn't have even said its in the top 10 art deco buildings in Melbourne.

anyway no point continuing the argument... carry on.

I would agree with that. There are some fantastic art deco building in Melbourne, and whilst it is a shame that it's going, in the scheme of things (IMHO) this one just isn't at the scale of the others. The fact that this facade could be easily reproduced is also another contributing factor. It's not particuly unique, nor do I look up and say 'Wow, thats a nice building'.

Again, this is my opinion.

[williampitt]

Originally Posted by John_Proctor

Does being on the cover of a book automatically make it 'important'.

um if its written by the president of the AUstralian art deco society then yes.

Originally Posted by John_Proctor

I wouldn't have even said its in the top 10 art deco buildings in Melbourne..

It would make the top 10 functionalist or streamline moderne buildings in Melbourne though.

1. Mitchell House
2. McPhersons Building
2. Yule House
3. Lonsdale House
4. FAI House
5. Stanhill
6. ES&A Bank
7. Presgrave Building
9. Beehive Building
10. Freemasons Hospital, East Melbourne

It would probably make my top 10.

[williampitt]

Originally Posted by AUboy

The fact that this facade could be easily reproduced is also another contributing factor. It's not particuly unique, nor do I look up and say 'Wow, thats a nice building'.

Again, this is my opinion.

1. it isn't easy to reproduce. if it was, we'd probably have a whole city of them. knocking it down is easy - once it is gone - it is gone forever.

2. the design of the tower is unique

3. since when is the criteria for heritage always that it must look nice. art is subjective. some people think new buildings look like crap.

[AUboy]

Mate calm down. I said this was my opinion.

[Jack Daniel]

Would anyone be prepared to lie down in the path of an oncoming bulldozer or stage a protest to save lonsdale house? If not then it probably isn't worth saving. Saying that, personally I really like the building. Just not enough to do anything to save it. lol.

[Dockside]

Im sad to see Lonsdale House go, its the windows that i love.
Though in the sense to save Lonsdale House it would only have saved the facade of the building. That would really down grade Londale House to zero and we would get a even more compromised development in the new additions they plan to build imo.

[AK Anthony]

Unsurprisingly, amidst all the controversy of the proposal, Myer and David Jones continue to appear playing their game of "mine's bigger than yours".

[Yardmaster]

Irregardless of whether they're Art Deco or not, that set of buildings on the east of the Myer building make up a homogenous street facade ... and a big screen there will stick out like a sore thumb.

I sense this is angled to point at the Public Library ...

[williampitt]

Originally Posted by Jack Daniel

Would anyone be prepared to lie down in the path of an oncoming bulldozer or stage a protest to save lonsdale house? If not then it probably isn't worth saving. Saying that, personally I really like the building. Just not enough to do anything to save it. lol.

There will be a demonstration. Mark my words.

The government needs to take more notice of the people rather than simply taking bending over to developers and taking it up the you know what.

Anyone interested in demonstrating should email the Art Deco Society or the National Trust.

[Garmatt]

Maybe that's why there are never any photos posted on this forum any more....everyone's too busy arranging demonstrations!

There's actually alot happening around town construction-wise at the moment, but you would think there's nothing of any interest when you open the forum every day to see the same old posts about the same old things..........

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

As an outsider, I have a different opinion of this development to some (or most) on this board.
Firstly, Londsale House has no historical relevance to me at all. It is not a particularly nice looking building either. Therefore I have no problem with it being demolished.

The development is something which looks impressive and will be another great addition to the retail scene in Melbourne. This may well cement Melbourne's position as the best shopping destination in Australia, and possibly the Southern Hemisphere. I would argue at present that Sydney could at least challenge Melbourne for this title, and the Sydney CBD perhaps has even better shopping and a more extensive range or products and labels.

Melbourne is well known around Australia for its unique architecture and this looks like another point in case, to me anyway. I would kill for this sort of a development in Brisbane...

And from my point of view the Victorian State Government is looking out for the people of Melbourne and Victoria. In the short term, it will provide jobs in the construction phase, whilst the retail sector will have its turn from 2012 onwards.

Obviously this is my own point of view, so don't kill me for it.

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

Here is an article that you may enjoy reading.

A piece of history is demolished for a slice of retail sameness
Shaun Carney
July 29, 2009
The reasons given for revamping this part of the city are spurious.

IN EXPLAINING his decision to allow the demolition of the art deco building Lonsdale House yesterday, Planning Minister Justin Madden trumpeted the reorientation of the revamped Myer retail complex as one of the benefits.

The north-eastern corner of the new complex, which will replace part of Lonsdale House, will, he said, create symmetry with the QV centre, on the south-western corner of Swanston and Lonsdale Streets. The complex’s new, medium-rise glass tower will open up that part of the street via pedestrian entry and exit points that will supposedly look across to QV. This will ‘‘freshen up’’ the corner, he told ABC radio.

Which is great, except that the QV and the new buildings won’t face each other. They can’t. The building that is diagonally across the Swanston-Lonsdale intersection from QV is a former bank, now a McDonald’s outlet and it’s not part of the redevelopment. It fronts Swanston Street and its northern wall runs west along Lonsdale for about 30 metres.

At the rear is Caledonian Lane, a narrow one-way carriageway, and then there’s Lonsdale House. So the new development will actually be about 35 metres from the Swanston-Lonsdale corner and will have no genuine spatial relationship with the QV. It will not form part of a community of buildings with QV.

The much-vaunted egress point of the new complex will spill shoppers out right next to a widened and much busier and wider Caledonian Lane, which is to be the main service thoroughfare for the redevelopment. Pedestrians will have to dodge vans and trucks. Great.

Lonsdale House is not the best example of what we have all come to know as art deco in Melbourne. Right now, with its ground level doorways and windows boarded up and blackened, its five storeys painted a sickly pale green, and its highlights - especially its miniature tower - picked out in a garish sort of turquoise, it looks distinctly down-at-heel.

But the building, which began its life in Victorian times and was given a comprehensive deco-moderne makeover in the early 1930s, is making way for a lane widening, pure and simple. Is Melbourne rich enough architecturally to be able to afford to destroy buildings like this simply to make deliveries easier?

Developer Colonial First State Property Management has been upfront about its determination to wipe out Lonsdale House. In a statement in April it said: ‘‘Caledonian Lane needs to be widened to cater for the servicing requirements of this part of the city’s retail core, and this necessitates the demolition of Lonsdale House.’’

It added: ‘‘We are proposing to retain the major heritage facades to Lonsdale Street and Little Bourke Street without compromising the future functionality of the redevelopment of this iconic site.’’ In other words, it was sending a signal to the State Government and the City of Melbourne that it was going to leave everything else untouched if they would agree to surrender Lonsdale House.

And they have. It was covered by a council heritage overlay but that wasn’t enough to save it. Last year, Heritage Victoria refused to list it as a building of state significance. True, there are better interwar buildings with elements of its style, such as the old Darrods, now part of David Jones women’s store, with its incredible friezes, on the Bourke Street Mall, and Sir Keith Murdoch’s Newspaper House a block south from there on Collins Street. And Mitchell House, on the corner of Lonsdale and Elizabeth, is a dowdy gem.

But just because a building is not a primo example of a style, that does not make its destruction acceptable. Its physical context should count too. Lonsdale Street between Swanston and Elizabeth is particularly ugly. It was wrecked in the early 1990s with the construction of the appalling two-level transparent skybridge linking Myer and the then-new development, Melbourne Central.

From east and west, the street vistas are befouled by the thing. Worse, Melbourne Central’s face to Lonsdale Street is ugly and personality-free. Along that block, there’s not a single building that looks anything other than functional. Except for Lonsdale House.

But that has to go so that the Colonial consortium can get a delivery bay, a wider lane for its suppliers’ trucks and can build, according to the artist’s impression published in this paper yesterday, a set of escalators and some glass walls.

Perversely, Melbourne is in the grip of another department store war, with Myer and David Jones furiously rebuilding and refitting. All over the world, department stores are said to be in trouble as shopping and social mores change, and consumers’ preferences atomise.

You can’t do more than wish them both well and, for the sake of the people who work for the companies, hope that they counter the prevailing trend against big, single-stop department stores. But it’s worth recalling that one of the reasons that precinct is so visually unappealing is because of the previous department store war in the late 1980s.

As Myer and a re-energised David Jones went into battle, Daimaru signalled from Japan that it wanted a piece of the action and the best part of a city block was laid waste to help make that possible. Daimaru lasted at the Melbourne Central site from 1991 until 2002. Its legacy is a shopping mall that looks like every other shopping mall. And the skybridge.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/a-p...h.html?page=-1

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

And here is an article from the ALP Site;

Emporium Melbourne delivers $500 million and 2500 jobs


Premier John Brumby today announced the Myer redevelopment and major Myer precinct upgrade had received planning approval, driving a $500 million investment in the city’s retail centre and creating between 2000 and 2500 construction jobs.

Mr Brumby said the Victorian Government was taking action to drive investment, boost the economy and create jobs in tough global economic times.

“This development highlights the confidence businesses have in Victoria and the Victorian economy,” Mr Brumby said.

“The ‘Emporium Melbourne’ project will complete the rejuvenation of Myer Melbourne and provide the final link in the chain of upgrades from the Myer Bourke Street and David Jones stores, through to Melbourne Central and QV.

“This project will build on Melbourne’s reputation for outstanding shopping, cafés, restaurants, food and wine.

“Emporium Melbourne will enable Melbourne to reinforce its position as a world-class retail and cultural destination.”

Planning Minister Justin Madden said that an important part of the proposal was that it married the significant heritage features of the site with contemporary urban architecture.

“The heritage-listed facades of the Lonsdale Street store and Little Bourke Street buildings would be retained and refurbished as part of the development,” Mr Madden said.

“As part of the development, Lonsdale House will make way for an iconic new entrance and improved access.

“The development also includes a child care centre, reconstruction of the pedestrian bridge over Little Bourke Street, and a feature electronic screen to promote information and art.”

Mr Madden said approval for this project is a green light for investment and a green light for construction jobs.

“The redevelopment will also make Melbourne’s shopping precinct an even better drawcard for residents and interstate tourists,” he said.

“Given the significant role of the Myer Melbourne department stores, particularly during the Christmas trading period, this approval will facilitate a completion date prior to Christmas 2012.”

The amendment to the Melbourne Planning Scheme has paved the way for about 42,000 square metres of retail floor space, and about 31,000 square metres of commercial floor space in the Lonsdale Street to Little Bourke Street block.

Stage 1 of the Myer retail development was approved in November 2007 and works are well underway.

http://www.alpvictoria.com.au/News-a...2500-jobs.html

[Alphaville]

Originally Posted by williampitt

they beat their chests about being cultured (and turn their noses up at Queenslanders), but even if they aren't rednecks the truth is that the majority are clumsy uncultured suburban goofballs like Harry Madden that belong in Fountain Lakes



i wish it weren't true as its a paradox that i hate but arrogant pig headed parochial Victorians are just one reason why I sometimes think that this city sucks

Quite simply the best post of the year, IMHO.

It's the same with laneway gentrification. The State Govt wanted to shut down and crush laneway culture in the 1990's recession when it was emerging on the initiation of underground illegal culture - and then they catch on that it becomes a 'drawcard' for the city and gentrify it.

It's not just Madden - Brumby has shit for brains and simply can't compete with Bracks' charisma and vision (and even though I disagree with his politics, Kennett too). Victoria currently has the most uninspiring, dull visioned Premier. Two years unelected and counting....... not that the alternative is any good.

[melburn21]

Originally Posted by Alphaville

It's not just Madden - Brumby has shit for brains and simply can't compete with Bracks' charisma and vision

lol

[wowsim]

Originally Posted by Alphaville

Two years unelected and counting....... not that the alternative is any good.

He won his seat, like everyone else in Parliament... Sure he wasn't the leader of the party at the election, but to call him 'unelected' is a bit rich IMO...

He is certainly lower profile than Bracks... But his government has largely carried on in the same direction as the previous, with a few major announcements of its own...

[Jack Daniel]

Lonsdale House (taken today)

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


Myer

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr




Bourke Street

[L2]

When was the building last used for anything? I saw that graffiti myself this arvo and it has to be new, looks like it was probably done from inside the actual building.

There's no retail at ground level (typical of that hideous section of Lonsdale St) but no obvious evidence it's being used for offices upstairs.. so when was it last used for anything? I wonder what the interior & it's condition is like.

[AUboy]

Originally Posted by L2

When was the building last used for anything? I saw that graffiti myself this arvo and it has to be new, looks like it was probably done from inside the actual building.

There's no retail at ground level (typical of that hideous section of Lonsdale St) but no obvious evidence it's being used for offices upstairs.. so when was it last used for anything? I wonder what the interior & it's condition is like.

It's apparently been vactated for around 8-10 years.