Block Arcade, Melbourne

View of Block Arcade looking south toward Collins Street.

Block Arcade is a heritage shopping arcade in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria.^[1] Melbourne's Golden Mile heritage walk runs through the arcade.^[2]

The arcade proper is L-shaped, connecting Collins Street at the south end to Elizabeth Street on the west. The 'L' shape is converted into a 'T' through the junction on the north side with Block Place, a partly covered pedestrian lane that leads to Little Collins Street, opening opposite the Royal Arcade. The block arcade was known for its well known young larrikin gang called the "barcade boys" who dealt drugs all day and hired prostitutes at night.

The arcade which was erected between 1891 and 1893 was designed by architect David C. Askew whose brief was to produce something similar to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. The result was one of Melbourne's most richly decorated interior spaces, replete with mosaic tiled flooring, glass canopy, wrought iron and carved stone finishings. The exterior façade of the six storey office has near identical facades on Collins and Elizabeth Streets and is one of Australia's best surviving examples of the Victorian Mannerist style.

The arcade was formerly known as "Carpenter's Lane", however the precinct was widely known as "The Block". Once the works were complete, local shopkeepers successfully petitioned to have it changed to its present name.

It is a significant Victorian era arcade and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.^[1] Along with Melbourne's other main arcade, the Royal Arcade, and Melbourne's lanes, it is a tourist icon of the city.

Gallery

Elizabeth Street facade
Exterior detail
Collins Street entry
Signage
Interior walkway
Central atrium

References

1 2 "Block Arcade, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H0032, Heritage Overlay HO596". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria.
↑ "Melbourne's Golden Mile Heritage Trail". Tourism Victoria. Retrieved 2011-07-25.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Block Arcade.

The Block Arcade

Landmarks in the Melbourne City Centre

Note: this includes landmarks in the Melbourne City Centre and its fringe areas, not the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area

City precincts	Arts Precinct Chinatown Docklands Government Precinct Greek Precinct Little Italy Paris End RMIT City Southbank/Wharf Sports and Entertainment Precinct University of Melbourne

Shopping	Block Arcade Bourke Street Bridge Road Brunswick Street Chapel Street Centre Place Collins Street Degraves Street DFO South Wharf Elizabeth Street Flinders Lane GPO Melbourne Harbour Town Docklands Little Collins Street Melbourne Central Shopping Centre Myer Emporium Pran Central Queen Victoria Market Queen Victoria Village Royal Arcade Swanston Street

Entertainment	Tramcar Restaurant Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex Luna Park Melbourne Aquarium Melbourne Visitor Shuttle Melbourne Zoo See also: Theatres in the Melbourne City Centre

Public galleries	Australian Centre for Contemporary Art Australian Centre for the Moving Image Ian Potter Museum of Art NGV Australia NGV International RMIT Gallery See also: Museums in Melbourne

Institutions	General Post Office Government House Melbourne Observatory Melbourne Town Hall Old Melbourne Gaol Old Melbourne Magistrates' Court Old Melbourne Mint Old Treasury Building Parliament House State Library of Victoria Supreme Court of Victoria Victoria Barracks

Structures	Arts Centre Eureka Tower Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Melbourne Star Royal Exhibition Building Shrine of Remembrance St Paul's Cathedral St Patrick's Cathedral

Sports stadiums	Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (AAMI Park) Docklands Stadium (Etihad Stadium) Flemington Racecourse Margaret Court Arena Melbourne Multi Purpose Venue (Hisense Arena) Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) Lakeside Stadium National Ice Sports Centre (O'Brien Group Arena) Olympic Park Stadium Rod Laver Arena Royal Melbourne Golf Club Princes Park (Ikon Park)

Parks and spaces	Albert Park and Lake Alexandra Gardens Birrarung Marr Carlton Gardens City Square Federation Square Fitzroy Gardens Flagstaff Gardens Kings Domain Queen Victoria Gardens Royal Botanic Gardens Royal Park Treasury Gardens Yarra Park

Transport	Bolte Bridge Capital City Trail City Circle Tram CityLink Flinders Street station Melbourne Airport Melbourne Central station Melbourne Seaport Southern Cross station Trams in Melbourne West Gate Bridge Yarra River

See also: Museums in Melbourne Parks and gardens of Melbourne Theatres in the Melbourne City Centre

Streets of Melbourne's Hoddle Grid

Latitudinal streets	West to East: Spencer King William Market Queen Elizabeth Swanston Russell Exhibition Spring

Longitudinal streets	South to North: Flinders Flinders Lane Collins Little Collins Bourke Little Bourke Lonsdale Little Lonsdale La Trobe

Significant lanes	Lanes of Melbourne ACDC Lane Bank Place Bligh Place Block Place Caledonian Lane Causeway Lane Centre Place Degraves Street Hardware Lane Niagara Lane Manchester Lane McKillop Street Punch Lane

Significant arcades	Arcades of Melbourne Block Arcade Campbell Arcade Cathedral Arcade Centreway Arcade Howey Place Melbourne GPO Port Phillip Arcade Royal Arcade

Coordinates: 37°48′57″S 144°57′52″E / 37.81583°S 144.96444°E / -37.81583; 144.96444

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 10, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.