13th October, 2009

THE CORNER STORE - JUST A FADING MEMORY?

The local corner store is something that has been taken for granted in our cities and towns. Walking down to buy some milk and bread, the newspaper.....but sadly their demise is slowly but surely happening as larger shopping chains out-compete and use their massive marketing campaign allures to the point where corner stalls are forced to close down. They have become the latest range of abandoned buildings throughout our cities and towns. Take a drive around and there are countless former corner shops that now lay empty. The same has slowly been happening to many of the independent petrol stations.

4th October, 2009

INDUSTRIAL SEAPORT BUILDINGS BITE THE DUST

As cities and towns develop and change, so too does its architecture. The former woolsheds (pictured) form part of a large complex that was the old industrial trading port in Launceston. A walk around the area feels more like an industrial wasteland. What makes the area more somber is that the local Council has been buying up properties over the past few years in order to create a flood levy barricade to stop a once in a hundred year flooding of the neighboring suburbs and city. Many buildings have already been demolished, and these woolsheds built on a grand scale have demolition notices stuck on them, so anytime now they will be history.
A walk onto the riverfront is more like a trap into rusting machinery and an overgrown blackberry den. Glimpses of old cruise boats can be seen amongst the mess, with seagulls making the large derelict cruisers their home.

20th September, 2009

ART DECO GEM TO BE DEMOLISHED

Lonsdale House, a Melbourne Art Deco landmark will be demolished to make way for the Myer redevelopment. The building located in Lonsdale Street is a lovely streamline period building with a lovely top mast complemented in white and green paints. The graffiti artists thought they would also add their bit to this doomed building. This is a sad day when our built heritage is lost to another generic glass box. Who says the days of the 1960s demolitions are a thing of the past. It's 2009 and demolition of our wonderful built heritage continues 'all in the name of progress'

4th September, 2009

BIG vs SMALL

The Dalgety Apartments are One of the many new apartments being built in one of Australia's fastest growing cities, Townsville. Of all the new highrise apartments being built, these it could be argued least fit into the street-scape below, towering over the older heritage listed building. Nonetheless both the buildings, big and small provide an intriguing perspective and interesting photographic opportunity.

28th August, 2009

CITY RENEWAL & DEMOLITION

Hobart is to get it's own version of what has been dubbed as 'Melbourne's Federation Square' by the local press. Today the winner of the final 3 submissions to redevelop the Parliament Square Precinct in Hobart was unveiled.

The Sydney based firm plans to open up the area as a public space. One of the major new buildings is a new and interesting looking 'honeycomb' colour Government Office Building. The Brutalist period Government Offices (pictured) which was built in the late 1960's will be demolished. Works on the project are planned to begin in March 2010.

16th August, 2009

'NEW' ABANDONMENT

It goes to show that not every abandoned building has to be in ruin or old in order to be empty and not used. These warehouse sheds on the outskirts of Launceston were built and have been empty for over a year now. It seems they (and other properties near them) were erected and land sold off in the economic good times, and now in uncertain times there isn't the eagerness to buy up like there once was.

1st August, 2009

AUSTRALIA'S FASTEST GROWING CITY - TOWNSVILLE

Townsville is situated in tropical Far North Queensland and is unofficially dubbed "the capital of the North". The city is one of the fastest growing in Australia with a population of 147,000 and projections estimate that by the year 2016 will have nearly 219,000 residents. That's an increase of 72,000 people in 7 years!

The majority of these apartments have been built in the last years. The tall building to the far right is known locally as the 'Sugar Shaker' The city center has largely been abandoned due to big box developments and decentralized suburbs and services. Just by walking through the mall it looks as if 1 in 5 buildings are empty. Highrise apartments have sprung up everywhere in the last few years and I can only think its an attempt to get the CBD vibrant again. Time will tell.

26th July, 2009

ART DECO HISTORY UP IN FLAMES -
ACTION MUST BE TAKEN TO A SITE THAT IS AS HISTORIC AND IMPORTANT AS PORT ARTHUR

On Sunday 26th April the basement area of the Administartion Building of the former Royal Derwent Hospital was ablaze. Police are treating the fire as suspicious. Luckily the fire was contained to a small area. This wonderful art deco period building and the dozens of other buildings that make up the massive complex are under constant threat of vandalism and neglect and fire poses a real threat if action is not taken to secure and put the buildings to adaptive re-use.

The Administration Building, built in 1940 in the Art Deco style was originally bought some years ago but the owners never developed it and it remains in a very neglected and vandalised state. Many wonderful art deco features remain, including the main front details, an amazing theater with period detailing.

The complex was on the market at $350,000 and was recently sold (April/May 09). It's future though, especially after this recent blaze make the future of the complex uncertain.

7th July, 2009

INNISFAIL - 'ART DECO CAPITAL OF QUEENSLAND'

Innisfail is a small town located in Far North Queensland. It can lay claim to having one of the highest concentrations of art deco period architecture in Australia. In just a few hundred meters of walking there are dozens of art deco beauties. i was lucky enough to be in Innisfail on the official re-opening of the Johnstone Shire Hall after having undergone a $AU17million renovation after tropical Cyclone Larry severally damaged the structure that was originally erected in 1937.

A large gathering turned out to witness the re-opening in the massive grand hall. The finishing touches are still being done, notably the front entrance area which had all the security fencing taken away for the opening day. Tiles in the foyer and the steel glass windows had to be imported from specialists in Europe and the UK, whilst heritage laws restricted ripping up the old floorboards of the grand hall. instead the architects put another layer of timber over the originals which now gives the structure more strength when the next cyclone hits.

Plaster in many places is layers deep, having to be applied to around 40mm thick. Upon undertaking renovations the original colour scheme of the facade was found, and returned to its original glory, to the shock and debate amongst locals.

It stands as the largest Art Deco Hall in Queensland, and it wouldn't surprise me if its the largest in Australia. It is certainly one of the most impressive.

June 6, 2009

THE HOOVER FACTORY - AN ART DECO LANDMARK

Many industrial buildings erected today are often concrete boxes with little clue as to what's being produced inside of them. Contrast this with many of the industrial factories of the early 20th century which were often designed to impress. Although London possess many striking industrial buildings from the art deco period The Hoover Factory would certainly be the jewel in the crown.

The Hoover Building designed by Wallis, Gilbert and Partners is located in the outer London suburb of Perivale facing the Western Avenue. It was the companies main headquarters in the UK for the production of vacum cleaners which in its day had a workforce of approximately 600 strongi.

The company seized operation at its Hoover Factory plant in the early 1980s and the complex stood abandoned and neglected for several years with an air of uncertainty over its future until in 1989 the complex was bought by a supermarket chain. The main Hoover building now houses a Supermarket to the rear, and to it's credit it's faithfully restored the buildings to their former glory. Both the main Hoover Factory (1932) and the smaller but equally stunningly designed Canteen Building (1938) were granted Grade 2 heritage listing in the early 1980sii.