MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

COLLINS STREET ENTRANCE

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BLOCK ARCADE A Melbourne Icon on Collins and Elizabeth Streets

THE BLOCK ARCADE

LITTLE COLLINS STREET
Balcombe Place

THE LOCATION
ELIZABETH STREET WING 96 - 102 Elizabeth Street BLOCK COURT 288 - 292 Collins Street COLLINS STREET WING 280 - 286 Collins Street BLOCK PLACE Access to Little Collins Street

ELIZABETH STREET

The Block Arcade

96-102

Block Place

Block Court
288-292

The Block

280-286

COLLINS STREET

CONTENTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10 - 11 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Collins Street Faade The Location Briscoes Bulk Grain Store Great Fire in Melbourne The Block modelled on Galleria Vittorio A view of Elizabeth Street Views of Collins Street Classification Citation How The Block took its name The Block Arcade from under The Dome The Block Court Building Doing The Block The new way of shopping Built as two separate wings First for The Block Hopetoun Tea Rooms More Destination Shops Murals, Mosaics and Art Decor Elizabeth Street Faade
LA TROBE STREET

Dame Edna Place

MELBOURNE CENTRAL
LITTLE LONSDALE STREET

STATE LIBRARY
QV CENTRE
GREEK PRECINCT

LONSDALE STREET

ST FRANCIS
GPO ELIZABETH STREET

MELBOURNE CENTRAL
SWANSTON STREET

RUSSELL STREET

QUEEN STREET

MYER MYER DAVID JONES

LITTLE BOURKE STREET

BOURKE STREET

GPO SHOPPING
DAVID JONES

CHINA TOWN

LITTLE COLLINS STREET

BANK BUILDING
FLINDERS LANE

ANZ GOTHIC

COLLINS STREET

TOWN HALL WESTIN REGENT CITY SQUARE ST PAULS

FLINDERS STREET

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FLINDERS STREET

FORUM

FEDERATION SQUARE

Front Cover Collins Street photograph by van der Toorren Block Arcade Studios

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

The Brief History of The Block Arcade Compiled by Don Parsons of The Block Arcade February 2010

BRISCOES BULK GRAIN STORE

his was the original store on the site of the Block Arcade. The bluestone foundations remain in Collins Street today.

Artists impression in line drawing of the original Briscoes Bulk Grain Store Building. This drawing was produced before the George and Georges ownership.

T he site of the Collins Street wing of the arcade was auctioned by Robert Hoddle in 1837.
The auction was conducted on the corner of Collins and William Streets by Hoddle standing on a makeshift podium which was really a fallen tree. The date was 1st June 1837 and was one of Melbournes very first land auctions. The price achieved for the land was the magnificent sum of eighteen pounds ($36). The purchase was by William Briscoe & Son. Briscoes Bulk Grain Store occupied the site (Collins Street wing) from 1856-1883. The Briscoe building was considered to be a magnificent construction of the time. This business dealt in the supply of grain, lumber and ironmongery to farmers. William Briscoe & Son had been in business in England for 110 years with branches in Wolverhampton and London. Briscoes found the multi level building to be impractical, materials such as steel, fencing and iron had to be hauled up to the upper floors by ropes and pulleys, as there were no lifts. This was time consuming and added to the costs of the materials and produce. Subsequently Briscoes relocated to a single level site in Queen Street. By 1883 Briscoes held contracts to supply materials for the Victorian Railways. They also built railway stations and roads. The Collins Street building was sold to George Brothers and then occupied by a store trading as George and Georges Federation Emporium. This was in fact the first Georges Store in Melbourne.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

Front page of the Argus Newspaper with details of the spectacular fire in the building that preceded The Block Arcade on Collins Street

From Elizabeth Street looking east prior to the 1889 fire. Note the sign at top of the original Briscoes Building with the wording George and Georges

Artists impression as appeared in the Argus Newspaper on Saturday 14 September 1889. This depicted the spectacular fire.

THE FIRE

A spectacular fire started at around 6.15pm on Friday 13th September 1889 in the Georges store on The Block site.
The fire and associated damage was reported in the Argus as being the most spectacular ever seen in Melbourne and to have cost an estimated amount of two hundred thousand pounds ($400,000). Furphy brand water carts were used by fire fighters as there was no reticulated water at the time. Efforts to extinguish the fire proved to be fruitless. Following the fire, Georges relocated to the Store on the Hill in Collins Street between Russell and Swanston Streets. The Georges Store became rather exclusive and generally catered for the more affluent members of Melbournes society until it closed in 1995. At the time of the 1889 fire, the fire brigades were owned by various insurance companies. As a result of the Georges fire, the MFB Metropolitan Fire Brigades was created.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

The Collins Street entry of The Block Arcade, showing Block Court to the left and the Allans (Music) Building to the right

Elizabeth Street exterior showing original awning and prior to the construction of the Beehive Building to the right

THE BLOCK - MODELLED ON GALLERIA VITTORIO

S hortly after the fire, the City Property & Co Pty Ltd. commissioned the then Melbourne Architects Twentyman & Askew to design a shopping arcade for the site with a separate wing connecting it with Elizabeth Street.
The brief was to replicate the Galleria Vittorio in Milan. David Askew had travelled extensively overseas and was able to adapt ideas from the Galleria Vittorio, including clever use of natural light for The Block. David Askew was also able to recycle a large amount of the bluestone, which had been used in the construction of the Briscoe building. In 2003, the City of Melbourne signed a Sister City agreement with the City of Milan. This resulted in a visit to Melbourne by a delegation led by Mr Salvatore Carrubba, Commissioner for Culture, .Museums and International Relations City of Milan. During the first week of March 2004, Mr Carrubba visited The Block Arcade to launch a photographic exhibition of Leonardo Da Vincis Last Supper. It was acknowledged at the launch that The Block Arcade had been modelled on the Galleria Vittorio, Milan. Today, the Block Arcade houses 29 exceptional retailers at street and lower ground level. Above, there are four floors of commercial tenants, enjoying a mid-city, stylish location with entrances from Collins and Elizabeth Streets. Following the introduction of stringent City of Melbourne fire regulation in the early 1980s, the then owners of The Block decided to sell the property rather than face the costs of bringing the building up to the new fire regulation standards. As a result, Time Corporation purchased the complex and spent almost $15 million on a complete refurbishment including meeting the new fire regulations. This work was done to conform with the requirements of the National Trust and Heritage Victoria. In 1991 Westpac became mortgagee in possession and subsequently sold the complex at public auction in 1993. The purchasers were a Queensland based Melbourne QC and his wife John and Alison Kearney. The Kearneys are life members of the National Trust and have had a lifetime admiration of the Heritage Buildings of Melbourne. The 1993 acquisition of The Block resulted in the property being placed in caring hands.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

This scene shows the southern wall of the Elizabeth Street wing of The Block Arcade with Singer & Kodak sign writing. In the foreground note the lone dog walking in opposite direction to the pedestrians

A VIEW OF ELIZABETH STREET

T he Block was the meeting place of Melbourne with a reputation as the most popular place to be seen and shop.
One enthusiastic visitor commented that in this street you would see women to equal any in the world for their physical beauty, stature and grace of carriage, they all looked like goddesses as they walk along. They were our forebears and pioneers of the wonderful city of Melbourne. The Hopetoun Tea Rooms were named after Lady Hopetoun, wife of Lord Hopetoun, Victorias first governor. The tea rooms were the place for young ladies, dressed in their finery, to come to eat. These young ladies wore the latest fashion in hats and gloves and were usually accompanied by their mothers or grandmothers. The property next to the arcade at (288-292 Collins Street) was occupied by the Athenaeum Club, an exclusive mens club. In 1929 the club was relocated to the top end of Collins Street. The City Property Company purchased this site alongside the arcade and modified the ground floor in an Art Decor style and renamed it Block Court.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

In 1886, cable cars were introduced to the CBD and surrounding suburbs. Shown here are the tracks being laid looking west from Swanston Street

Wide shot of Collins Street looking west from Swanston Street. This was pre 1930 and shows the building on the right that preceded the Manchester Unity Building around 1933.

VIEWS OF COLLINS STREET

Photo from South-East corner or Collins and Elizabeth Streets looking back toward Block Court and The Block Arcade

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

This close up shows a small garden fountain located centrally under The Dome.

Now the flagship Melbourne outlet of the renowned Haigs Chocolates, this is one of three shops under The Dome

CLASSIFICATION CITATION
he Block Arcade has many features including skylights over both wings, a large number of stained glass windows and a marvellous mosaic floor. The floor is a key part of the National Trust classification of The Block. A particularly fine shopping arcade of 1890-93, designed by Twentyman & Askew in a Boom version of the French Renaissance style, with handsome plate glass shop windows, an octagon at the junction on the two arms, mosaic tiled floors, a glass roof of which some sheets survive with their original decoration, cast-iron roof principals with elegant openwork spandrels, and three and four storey buildings facing onto Elizabeth and Collins Streets, in all a monument to the financial boom and to B.J. Fink, J McAlister Howden and the other members of the City Property Company, for whom it was built. Construction was achieved quickly and in February 1892 the Collins Street wing of The Block Arcade opened. The Elizabeth Street wing was opened in October 1893. The total cost was 46,233 pounds ($92,466). Interestingly, the architects were able to integrate the basement of Georges/Briscoes into their building of The Block. So, today the basement of The Block actually dates back to the 1856 building of Briscoes Bulk Grain Store.
Looking into the Collins Street wing towards Haighs Chocolates with Hopetoun Tea Rooms on the right.

At the time of opening in 1892, the Arcade boasted 15 milliners, three lace shops, a photographer, plus the Hopetoun Tea Rooms. The Hopetoun still trades today.

Notice the spectacular Block Arcade Mirror which carries the date 1891 at the top of the oval shape. This mirror has been in the arcade since the opening in 1892.
MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

This depicts the Elizabeth Street wing, looking into the arcade towards The Dome area. The original shot is also prior to 1927 and the construction of the staircase down to the Winter Garden Tea Rooms which was the first lower ground floor tenant.

Inside the Elizabeth Street wing, looking towards The Dome and showing the 1927 staircase to the lower ground floor which was first tenanted by the Wintergarden Tea Rooms and now by the offices and auction rooms of Downies Coins

HOW THE BLOCK TOOK ITS NAME

Fergus Hume evocatively described doing the block in his The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, first published in Melbourne in 1886:
It was Saturday morning and fashionable Melbourne was doing the block. Collins Street is to the Southern city what Bond Street and the Row are to London, and the Boulevards to Paris Carriages were bowling smoothly along, their occupants smiling and bowing as they recognized their friends on the side walk Portly merchants, forgetting Flinders Lane and incoming ships, walked beside pretty daughters; and the representatives of swelldom were stalking along in their customary apparel of curly brimmed hats, high collars and immaculate suits. Altogether it was a pleasant and animated scene The act of doing (or promenading) the Block was how The Block Arcade took its name.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

THE BLOCK ARCADE FROM UNDER THE DOME

The mosaic floor at The Block is a classical Victorian design by Craven Dunnell Pty Ltd. of the United Kingdom, made from tiles manufactured in Italy. The Block still holds reserve supplies of all colours except the deep chocolate. The original value of the floor was 600 pounds ($1,200). The Block is classified by the National Trust and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. During the Second World War the mosaic floor was covered with Feltex carpet to protect it from being damaged by military footwear. This is the only time this type of protection has been used for The Block floor.

Originally gas lighting was used to illuminate the upper floors of the arcade buildings with electric arc lights being used in the arcade itself. This was one of the earliest known uses of electricity in a commercial application in the City of Melbourne. The lights in the arcade today are faithful reproductions of the original fittings. In the 1890s most of Melbournes wider streets were bustling. The more exclusive Block was ablaze with its crowd of colonial fashionables and celebrities passing the hours in a lounging gossiping manner. The City was still reasonably small and not only shoppers but civil servants and businessmen congregated there between three and five oclock each afternoon to discuss the events of the time. They had no other communication method as the telephone was in its infancy. 11

The exterior of the Block Court Building, when occupied by the leading mens Athenaeum Club and the treatment given to the faced at the time of the 1988 refurbishment

BLOCK COURT BUILDING

TFire he City Property Company owned the three buildings until 1986 at which time the Melbourne Metropolitan Brigade had surveyed all CBD buildings to ensure they conformed with fire standards. Unfortunately,
The Blocks upper floors did not conform, creating problems for the owners who then decided to sell. Time Corporation, a group of companies specialising in the restoration of historically important buildings, purchased the complex. A four year restoration programme was implemented. The arcades refurbishment was completed progressively from 1988 with the upper floors upgrade completed in 1990. This work was in the hands of renowned Melbourne architects, Buchans, with Heritage Victoria and the National Trust setting the specifications. During the refurbishment modern facilities have been incorporated into the historic building, to provide shoppers with the comfort and sophistication of a contemporary shopping arcade with smart fashion boutiques, gift shops, jewellers, eateries and specialty shops. The 1890s atmosphere of Marvellous Melbourne remains.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

DOING THE BLOCK

inancier Benjamin Fink had purchased the building on the site on the corner of Collins and Elizabeth Streets only three months before a fire swept through the building on Friday September 13, 1889. The site was at that time home to George & Georges Drapers. Georges went on to secure a long-lasting reputation as an exclusive department store at 162-168 Collins Street. Fink commissioned the architect David C. Askew to construct an arcade on the site. Askew based the design of the L-shaped arcade on Milans Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele. The arcade was built on the bluestone foundations that survived the fire. The Collins Street section was completed in 1892 and the Elizabeth Street section in 1893. In 1907, scenic artist Phillip Goatcher decorated the ceiling with a spectacular mural for the Singer Sewing Machine Company their shop was on the east corner of the Collins Street entry to the arcade. The other shop facing Collins Street, which housed the first Kodak shop in Melbourne, contains an elaborate pressed metal ceiling. Both feature ceilings remain in place today. The arcades name refers to the high society habit of the day, of perambulating the block formed by Collins, Elizabeth, Swanston and Little Collins Streets. Those who frequented the popular Block Arcade, its shops and tea houses were often recorded by caricaturists in the social pages of the citys newspapers. The Block Arcade retains the Victorian elegance to this day. Benjamin Fink, whose apparent wealth vanished with the collapse of the land boom in the 1890s fled to London with his children in 1892, as the Collins Street section of the Block Arcade was completed. Fink was insolvent but his wife was the sudden owner of much land in the western suburbs. She remained alone in Melbourne.

Collins Street looking west towards Elizabeth Street, around 1905. The Singer signage can be seen at the top of shop window..

A busy Saturday in Collins Street looking east around 1905: The distinctive Kodak sign appears at the top left

Historic view of Collins Street looking west in the very early 1900s. Note The Block Court and The Block Arcade buildings on the extreme right of frame. The Kodak name can also be seen.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

13

THE NEW WAY OF SHOPPING

n 19th century Melbourne, shoppers flocked to a new shopping phenomenon the arcade. Modelled on those developed in great European cities such as Milan, Paris and London, arcades were clean and modern, and protected the shopper from the heat, dust, rain and mud of the city streets. Their architectural design facilitated new ways to display and purchase fancy goods. At this time, changes in manufacturing and higher wages made luxury more accessible than ever. The modern shopping arcade enabled the buyer to indulge in the pleasures of looking, touching and contemplating goods without any pressure to make a purchase. Browsing became an accepted and expected pastime, and evolved into new leisure behaviour. A commodity that was no longer just a necessity but a thing of beauty, something to ponder and desire.
MCM Studio Shirts, Ties and Accessories for men and women. Located under The Dome

Flagship city outlet for Very Very retailing young fashion and located in the Collins Street wing.

Anna Fiori womens fashion shoes. This family owned shoe business is a company store located in the CBD with a strong shopper following

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

BUILT AS TWO SEPARATE WINGS

TGalleria he Block Arcade was modelled on Milano Vittorio Emmanuel arcade in Italy,
and designed by David Askew of the firm Twentyman and Askew. No expense was spared on the lavish interior decoration, vaulted ceilings, wrought iron, plaster ornament and stained glass the mosaic floor tiles were imported from Italy, and at the time this was the largest area of mosaics laid down in Australia. The Collins Street Arcade opened in February 1892, and that year the City Property Investment Company purchased the Elizabeth Street site from Benjamin Fink and John McAllister Howden, who were also directors of the Property Company. Askew was commissioned to design a linking arcade and the builder for this wing was Waring & Rowden. The Elizabeth Street wing opened in October 1893.
Hunt Leather stocks a range of top international label leather based products and has been at The Block Arcade for over 30 years

Dafel Dolls & Bears was established by Miss Ada Schmit over 70 years ago. The shop name was a combination of her first name ADA, followed by the word FELT and then deleting the first and last letters to produce DAFEL.

International brand Royal Selangor operates a flagship company store at the Elizabeth Street entry to The Block Arcade. City shoppers can select from a full range of Royal Selangor products.

MELBOURNE

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15

FIRST FOR THE BLOCK

he Singer Sewing Machine Company moved into The Block Arcade in 1902, selling machines on the ground floor and running sewing classes in its basement. The theatrical scene painter Philip Goatcher (1852-1931) was commissioned by Singer to paint a mural on its ceiling. This mural (see page 19) depicting references to new technologies and science decorates the store today. The Block Arcade housed the first Kodak Shop in Melbourne. When the first Kodak camera was launched in America in 1888, it was marketed with the slogan, you press the button, and well do the rest. The Kodak company was an innovator in promoting photography to the general public. The Block Arcade Kodak shop, in Melbourne, sold photographic goods for amateurs and professionals alike.

Wittners Womens Shoes have been trading in The Block Arcade for over 50 years. Note the pressed metal ceiling. This was installed by Kodak over 100 years ago

Orrefors Kosta Boda is located under The Dome in the shop originally occupied by The Hopetoun Tea Rooms.

Renown Melbourne coin and collectable trader Downies Coins in shops 11 & 12 of the Elizabeth Street wing.

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

HOPETOUN TEA ROOMS STILL OPEN TODAY

A Melbourne institution, the Hopetoun Tea Rooms in the Block Arcade were opened by the
Victorian Ladies Work Association in 1892. The name was in honour of the Associations founder Lady Hopetoun, wife of the Lord Hopetoun, Victorian Governor (1889-1895). The magnificent etched mirror in the Tea Rooms, hangs in pride of place on the back wall. Hopetoun customers and visitors to the arcade take it for granted. The 1891 date etched into the top of the oval shape confirms the date of manufacture. Other historic photographs show that the mirror has been part of the fabric of the building since the opening of the Collins street wing. The Block conducts twice weekly guided tours throughout the complex. The tour groups stand outside the Hopetoun Tea Rooms to admire this unique 19th century feature.
The historic Hopetoun Tea Rooms has been trading at The Block Arcade continuously since 1892.

Anton Jewellers at Collins Street entry off Block Court Building

Ground Floor display case for Linda Gorringe Couture. Linda designs and manufactures on the premises and has a large range of off the rack gowns

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17

Australian by Design retails Australian made memorabilia for the tourist market and general gift giving.

Skin Deep offers a full range of beauty treatments and products. The shop has private treatment salon upstairs

Go down stairs to the 1856 vaulted brick ceiling atmosphere of Basement Discs a specialist retailer with a particular musical niche.

Bob & Ann van der Toorren have been taking photographs at The Block Arcade for over 30 years

MELBOURNE

18

SINCE 1892

MURALS, MOSAICS AND ART DECOR

P hillip Goatcher, a well known theatrical scene painter of the day was commissioned to hand paint the ceiling of the Singer Sewing Shop, which is now the Chelsea Design Shop.

The mosaic tiled floor in The Block Arcade is a classical Victorian pattern and cost six hundred pounds ($1200) when laid.

Jazz Moderne is the name of the pattern used on the Art Decor Block Court terrazzo floor.

Design and layout Cymacs Digital Colour www.cymacs.com.au

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

Back Cover Elizabeth Street photograph by van der Toorren Block Arcade Studios

MELBOURNE

SINCE 1892

ELIZABETH STREET ENTRANCE

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BLOCK ARCADE A Melbourne Icon on Collins and Elizabeth Streets