One of my favourite intersections of Melbourne is the intersection of Collins street and Swanston street because it highlights the two prominent types of Melbourne architecture. On one corner you will find the Melbourne town hall from the gold rush era. Back in the day different councils would compete with one another to show off their wealth by trying to build the build larger, more grand versions of this town hall.
However, this style of architecture eventually started to fall out of fashion and in the 20th century we saw the rise of art deco architecture. If you look across the street from the Melbourne town hall, you will find the stunning Manchester Unity building, which opened in the same year as the empire state building and as such, shares many of the same architectural hallmarks.
If you ever find yourself at this intersection, you MUST explore the lobby of the Manchester Unity building and admire the beautiful mosaic tile floor.
If you want to learn more about the history and architecture of Melbourne, you can book our tours of Melbourne, which run every day.
@depotadventures What’s your favourite bit of #Melbourne #architecture ♬ original sound – Depot Adventures
