Collins Street, Melbourne

Looking down Collins Street from Southern Cross Station

Collins Street near King Street

Collins Street near Swanston Street

Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.

It is notable as Melbourne's best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.

The 'Paris end' (Eastern end) is a part of Marvellous Melbourne mythology. Although modern development has destroyed some of the European flavour of the top-end of Collins Street it still retains designer boutiques and cafes. The length of Collins Street between Elizabeth and King Streets has long been the financial heart of Melbourne and is home to banks and insurance companies.

History

As designed by Robert Hoddle, it is exactly one mile in length and 99 feet (one and half chains) wide. Collins Street is named after Lieutenant-Governor David Collins who led a group of settlers in establishing a short-lived settlement at Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne in the early 1800s. He subsequently became the first governor of the colony of Van Diemens Land, later to become Tasmania.

Aborigines at Collins Street, Melbourne, 1839. Watercolour by W. Knight

At the western end of the street was Batman's Hill, named for the Tasmanian adventurer and grazier John Batman, who built a house at the base in April 1836, where he lived until his death in 1839.

Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the top end of Collins Street was dominated by the rooms of medical professionals. The prestigious Melbourne Club was a dominant cultural presence. It was also the location of Grosvenor chambers (9 Collins Street) which was Australia's first custom designed studio complex, and was used by many prominent Australian artists.

Around the turn of the century "doing the Block" became a pastime for shoppers at the Block Arcade area in the retail heart of the street between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets.

An early example of facadism. The facade of the Collins Street Bank of New South Wales Collins Street was preserved when it was relocated to become the University of Melbourne Commerce building. The practice of facadism for preservation of heritage buildings is no longer advocated for Collins Street.

The Bank of New South Wales Melbourne office earned architect Joseph Reed a first prize in architecture. When the building was demolished in 1935, the facade was transferred to the University of Melbourne to become the Commerce building, (now administration for the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning)

During the 1950s and 1960s, the street became subject to extensive redevelopment and many historic buildings were demolished by Whelan the Wrecker, despite the efforts of the National Trust and the "Save Collins Street" group. While some examples of boom style architecture survive, the grandest examples were lost to the wrecker's ball. Of the major losses, the most significant were the large Victorian buildings including the Federal Coffee Palace, Colonial Mutual Life building, Robb's buildings, Queen Victoria Buildings, City of Melbourne Bank, Scott's Hotel, Melbourne Mansions and APA building.

Between 2003-2005, Collins Street was extended west beyond Spencer Street, and currently ends in plastic barriers and a T intersection with Stadium Drive. It is expected to extend further west in the future, as part of the new Docklands redevelopment. This will create an intersection between Bourke Street and Collins Streets, two of Melbourne's most important streets.

Attractions

Collins Street is also home to the Athenaeum and Regent theatres and the Rialto Towers observation deck provides a sweeping 360 degree view of Melbourne. Collins Street is also the high end street for the city of Melbourne. Many designer brands such as Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Chanel, Paspaley, Bally, Hérmes and many other stores are located along the street.

Major shopping centres in the retail district include Collins Place, Centreway, Block Arcade, and Australia on Collins.

One of the most popular statues in Melbourne, Larry La Trobe, faces Collins Street from the northern end of Melbourne City Square.

Architecture

File:Stmichael's.JPG

St Michael's Church

As Melbourne's commercial and former shopping centre, Collins Street possesses some of Melbourne's best examples of Victorian era architecture.

Large churches include the Collins Street Baptist Church (1845), the Scot's Presbyterian Church (1874) and the St Michael's Uniting Church (1866).

Significant commercial buildings include Alston's Corner (1914) by Nahum Barnet is an excellent surviving example of Edwardian architecture, while the Block Arcade by D.C Askew (1893) is an excellent example of high Victorian mannerist architecture.

Towards the financial end are some great examples of high Victorian gothic architecture or "Cathedrals of Commerce". They include William Pitt's Venetian Gothic style Old Stock Exchange (1888), William Wardell's Gothic Bank (1883) which features some of Melbourne's finest interiors and A.C Goode House designed by Wright, Reed & Beaver (1891).

Th old Commonwealth Bank of Australia Banking domed Chamber exists within the post modern 333 Collins Street tower. It was designed by Lloyd Tayler and Alfred Dunn and built in 1891.

Some of Australia's tallest buildings are along Collins Street, including the Rialto Towers, Collins Place towers 1 & 2, Nauru House, 120 Collins Street and 101 Collins Street and ANZ World Headquarters (at 380 Collins Street, which is integrated into the old Stock Exchange and Gothic Bank).

Institutions

The Melbourne Club is on Collins Street. The renaissance revival style buildings were designed by Leonard Terry and built in 1845.

The Reserve Bank of Australia's Victorian branch is located on Collins Street. Its 1960 buildings were once the national office for the bank.

Transport

Trams also run down Collins Street, mainly to Melbourne's eastern suburbs and the Docklands precinct.

Gallery

• 
  The Austral Buildings (115-199). A five storey office built completed in 1891 in the Queen Anne style to the design of Nahum Barnet
• 
  Professional Chambers (110-114) built in 1908 in the Queen Anne style to the design of Beverly Ussher
• Baptist Church
  Baptist Church
• Scots Church
  Scots Church
• Regent Theatre
  Regent Theatre
• 
  Alston's Corner, corner Collins and Elizabeth Street, also known as "The Block"
• 
  Gothic Bank (corner of Queen Street)
• 
  Former Melbourne Stock Exchange
• 
  A.C. Goode House (formerly the National Mutual Building). Built 1891 to the design of Wright, Reed & Beaver. Extended 1903.
• 
  Interwar Skyscraper Gothic facades
• 
  Bronze sculpture of Atlas on a Collins Street building
• 
  Former AMP Building. By Bates Smart. Corner of Market Street.
• 
  Temple Court, built in 1924 terminates the Market Street vista
• 
  Optus Centre
• Old Rialto Building
  Old Rialto Building
• 
  Winfield Building
• Olderfleet buildings
  Olderfleet buildings
• 
  120 Collins Street
• 
  Emirates House, 257 Collins street
• 
  Collins Street near King Street
• Australia on Collins, 250 Collins Street
  Australia on Collins, 250 Collins Street
• 
  530 Collins Street
• 
  Manchester Unity Building on tne corner of Swanston & Collins Streets
• 
  The bronze cast statue of Larry La Trobe, Melbourne City Square, faces Collins Street.

External links

• Notable locations on Collins Street