Our Favourite Buildings in Melbourne

The incredible illustrations in James Gulliver Hancock’s new book All the Buildings in Melbourne have the Hardie Grant office feeling lots of love for the wonderful city of Melbourne. So we thought we would share a few of our favourite buildings that have been perfectly captured by the talented Mr. Hancock.

Mark, Design Manager
Just looking at ICI house it’s easy to imagine office shenanigans and cocktail hours worthy of those boozehounds from Mad Men – slumped in an original Featherston in a pencil-legged 3-piece, knocking back a bucket of Scotch. It’s a big, boxy, modernist office tower at the north–east end of town, built during the ’56 Olympics at a time when cities were headed skyward and Melbourne had caught the eye of the world. It’s best viewed heading east up Lonsdale Street at sunset…mirrored reflections a-go-go. 

Tagen, Marketing Campaign Manager
In my first month of living in Melbourne I would go on little excursions every weekend to a new suburb that I’d had on my radar. I remember the tram turning into Bridport St and seeing 160 Bridport towering over the quaint Albert Park Shops. I love this building for it’s imposing beauty and the air of mystery that it has.

Roxy, Marketing Director
My favourite building is a car park! The Total car park at 180 Russell street is a hidden modernist gem in Melbourne’s CBD – something you mightn’t notice if you didn’t know it was there. At odds with the lovely and ornate Victorian and Gothic architecture that makes up much of the city, the Total car park is inspired by Japanese brutalism and in 1965 was the first brutalist building created in Victoria. There is nothing else like it in the CBD! But go and see it while you can – it’s apparently slated for development and sadly may not be around for long.

Jane, Publishing Director
The Sun Theatre is arguably the heart of Yarraville. Built in 1938, its refurbished art deco charms are a nod to the inner-western suburb’s colourful history. In those early years, it was a single-screen 1050 seat cinema, and most Saturdays it was fully booked. Its distinct neon sun is a beacon at night, below it the now eight cinemas channeling that lovely, rare combination of warmth and nostalgia. The Sun Bookshop commands to be mentioned here, too. Tucked into what was the cinema’s original candy bar, a visit to the now 16-year-old bookshop and a movie go hand in hand.

Jess, Marketing Coordinator
The Majorca Building is my favourite building in Melbourne. Just visible from the top end of Degraves street, it’s the first thing I look for when I pop out of the Flinders St station underpass. It always amazes me that I need to point it out to people, force them to look up from street level and see the blue and gold architectural beauty rising up above them – this building is a true Melbourne gem.

Kirstie, Publicist
The beautiful and iconic Forum Building on Melbourne has so much special significance for me. Apart for the gorgeous, gothic exterior that is fading these days with peeling paint and shonky looking fittings, there are tons memories of contrasting experiences over a long time experienced inside. It’s been there so long and when I walk past I get reminded of so many times in my life.

Sallie, Marketing & Publicity Executive
I have always loved the Royal Exhibition Building – it is so amazing to walk around it at dusk when the sun sets over the majestic dome. As a former Melbourne Museum employee, I used to walk around the REB on a daily basis, and would often have lunch in the surrounding gardens.

I love that it is the only exhibition building in the world that is still used for its original purpose, and I love that the majority of the building has remained intact and continues to be used for all kinds of exhibitions, from craft spirits to cars. In the 1980s, the building had fallen into a state of disrepair, and when decisions had to be made to restore the building or destroy it, it came down to 1 vote – which luckily for us decided to restore the building. The building is a great part of our history, and there are so many stories to tell. 

See more of James’ incredible illustrations of Melbourne’s iconic buildings in All the Buildings in Melbourne. Available now where all good books are sold. More info here