| House | $590,000  |
| Unit | $599,700 |
Surrounding suburbs
| House | $638 |
| Unit | $698 |
| Neighbour Photos |
| Map | Street view | Nearby property price |
| Planning History: |
| Registered as Victorian heritage |
| Last updated on - December 15, 1999 What is significant? The Former Mail Exchange, completed in 1917, was designed by Commonwealth Home Affairs architect John Smith Murdoch. The seven storey, steel-framed building was constructed in a beaux-arts classical style, with a red brick facade featuring rustication at the corners and a trabeated facade at first to third floor levels. The dominant feature of the facade is the paired giant order fluted columns, with ionic capitals, rising through three storeys. Bronzed steel framed windows fill the bays between the columns, contrasting with the mass and solidity of the masonry. Windows in each corner also rise three storeys from small balconettes with a simple bronzed steel balustrade. An under-road tunnel connects the sub-basement to Platform 2 at Spencer Street Station and was used for the conveyance of mail to trains. How is it significant? The Former Mail Exchange is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria. Why is it significant? The Former Mail Exchange is of architectural significance as a major example of the early work of the Commonwealth Department of Works and its first chief architect, J.S. Murdoch. The building is a distinguished example of beaux-arts classical design, and its Greek flavour was ten years ahead of Melbourne’s mainstream Modern Greek revival. The beaux-arts style was not common in Australia, tending to be used for large and important buildings. It was the sense of monumentality that it imparted that Murdoch considered appropriate for Commonwealth buildings. Classicism became the style of choice for Commonwealth buildings during Murdoch’s time. Its dignified conservatism was thought appropriate for major public buildings, and is particularly evident in the public buildings of Canberra, such as the Old Parliament House (1927), also designed by Murdoch. Murdoch was a major figure in the development of Canberra, being a judge of the competition to design the city and responsible for many of the capital’s buildings himself. He was also responsible for a number of other significant public buildings throughout Australia. The Former Mail Exchange is of historical significance as an important reminder of the development of the Australian mail service in the early decades of the 20th century. The building was erected to ease congestion and provide better conditions than those prevailing at the Melbourne GPO. Its direct tunnel link to Spencer Street Station, modern and well-designed internal spaces and system of chutes to transport mail around the building demonstrated a concerted effort to modernise the mail system in the early years of the new Commonwealth. This modernity was reflected in the materials of the building, the steel framed windows being an early example of the use of such technology. The proximity of the building to Spencer Street Station refle |
| 05 Nov 1996 |
| To install an illuminated wall sign |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-1996-1083) |
| 03 May 1999 |
| Five lot subdivision |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-1999-491) |
| 12 Nov 1999 |
| 2 lot subdivision |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-1999-1391) |
| 05 Jun 2002 |
| 2 lot subdivision (file # 2542) |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2002-536) |
| 22 Mar 2005 |
| Buildings and works including the construction of external alterations and additions to the building |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2005-259) |
| 21 Nov 2006 |
| Part demolition, construction of alterations and additions to the fifth floor level of the existing building, and use of the fifth floor level as a Child Care Centre |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2006-1076) |
| 17 Apr 2008 |
| Erection of business identification signage |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2008-270) |
| 17 Apr 2008 |
| Erection of business identification signage |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2008-271) |
| 26 Sep 2008 |
| Use the lower ground floor of the existing building for the purposes of a Hotel, including the installation and use of 80 gaming machines; modifications to the building's ground level Spencer Street entrance for the installation of new doors; buildin |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2008-834) |
| 15 Dec 2009 |
| Installation of directional signage to existing building |
| (Source: Melbourne City Council, reference no: TP-2009-1098) |
| 30 Jun 2010 |
| Use the lower ground floor of the existing building for the purposes of a Hotel, including the installation and use of 80 gaming machines; modifications to the building's ground level Spencer Street entrance for the installation of new doors; buildin |
| (Source: Melbourne City Council, reference no: TP-2008-834/A) |
| 14 Sep 2011 |
| Amendment to permit conditions |
| (Source: Melbourne City Council, reference no: TP-2008-834/B) |
| 18 Jan 2012 |
| Installation of street lights and construction of bluestone paving to footpath |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2012-14) |
| 07 Mar 2012 |
| Buildings and works to increase the floor area of the existing building and the display of two business identification signs |
| (Source: Melbourne Council, reference no: TP-2012-119) |
| 24 Apr 2014 |
| Amendments to conditions 4, 5, 6 and 22 and the approved Management Plan of planning permit TP-2008-834 |
| (Source: Melbourne City Council, reference no: TP-2008-834/C) |
| 13 Oct 2016 |
| Business identification signage |
| (Source: , reference no: ) |
| Nearby Public Transport: | |||||||||||||||||||
|
