Melbourne’s GPO is like an English gentleman with a confused, or rather, sophisticated characteristic. Its Big Ben’s equivalent clock tower dominates the intersection of two major streets in town: the shoppers’ paradise Bourke Street and the superb retailers’ hub Elizabeth Street. Proud yet unobtrusive, the giant clock is a faithful keeper of time to the hectic office workers flocking over from all directions, and a beautiful reminder of the city’s colonial history to the casual visitors. To the town planners, this antique timepiece is more than just an exquisite decoration or a convenient time-teller; its location is an important point of reference to ascertain road distances of a particular place from the centre of Melbourne.
At first glance, the façade of
the building presents a uniform 19th century Renaissance Revival
style, a hybrid of Italian and French architectural form found far too commonly
in many old buildings scattered around the city of Melbourne. Yet a closer
scrutiny of this grandeur, heritage-listed heirloom would unveil its
complicated personalities beyond the surface.
Each of the level incorporates
unique and diverse styles of column. The masculine Doric columns with their
characteristic simple circular capitals stand at the base of the building, like
a row of stoic guards steadfastly protecting the sanctity of this iconic
masterpiece of Melbourne. The feminine Ionic columns stand elegantly at the
second level. Their spiral and scroll-like volutes beam seductively at the
city, like a group of ladies ready to perform a graceful curtsey. The third
level, on the other hand, is lined with a row of slender Corinthian columns with
intricately carved capitals. Each level is distinctive in its own special way,
yet harmoniously blended into a single classical piece of architectural
structure.
Designed by A. E. Johnson
(also the same architect responsible for the Supreme Court of Victoria), the
Melbourne’s GPO started of as a post office and a mail sorting space in around
1864. In 1992, the Australia Post made a rather sensational announcement of its
plans to end the building as its major postal hall. The public was intrigued
and curiosity aroused inevitably. Many might have thought such an old-style
Victorian-era building would have aptly served as an art gallery or an
antiquated museum, but the GPO building surprised us all. Like a dignified,
silver-whiskered grandfather dissatisfied with his vintage links, the building
was dramatically refurbished and transformed into a contemporary fashion hub,
now occupied by the Swedish retail giant H&M as its pioneer flagship store
in Australia.
The GPO today is more than
just a retail centre selling low-priced designer clothes and accessories; its iconic
steps at the entrance is the gathering point where Melbournians could inhale
the sunny breeze, have a sip of a barista-made coffee, and enjoy an afternoon
of public live performances from talented buskers. It is the heart of street
culture, coffee art, international fashion and dining experience. It is,
indeed, the heart of Melbourne.
Location:
2/ 350 Bourke Street,
Melbourne (corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets)
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