With its imposing modern Gothic-style turreted tower and a façade coated in moulded terra cotta faience of gold-brown lavishness, this gargantuan building prominently situated at the corner of Swanston and Collins Street possesses all the necessary elements to be a legend.
Its fancy pinnacles made it
the tallest building in Melbourne in the 1930s. It had the first escalator
in the state of Victoria. It was the most quickly constructed building in
Australia, a title and accolade that it proudly held on to until 1980s. Each of
the twelve floors was completed with astonishing speed within 7 to 10 days.
Construction works continued day and night on round-the-clock eight-hour shifts
during the Depression period, where labour was cheap and workers were
desperate. What’s more, the building has its fair share of dark, mysterious
history: an unsolved murder case in 1978 involving three jewelers being shot in
head execution-style on Level 8 of the building.
The building was first bought and served
as a new headquarters for the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows
(IOOF), a friendly society motivated by benevolence and practical moral code,
and embellished with secret passwords, hand signs, symbols, rites and ceremonies.
The organization was set up at the time when a welfare state was non-
existence; the protection and care for the members and their families became an
essential aim which the IOOF has steadfastly upheld for decades. In 1993, the
Manchester Unity merged with the Australian Natives’ Association, and formed
the national healthcare giant Australian Unity.
Dr Kia Pajouhesh, the
founder and managing director of Smile Solutions dentistry clinic is now the
major custodian of the building, occupying levels 1, 10, 11 and 12 and the
tower. When the various floors were first acquired by the dentist, the building
was in a state of dilapidation. Extensive restorative works were carried out to
reinvigorate the previous glory of this legendary masterpiece.
Today, the Manchester Unity
Building remains one of those iconic buildings impossible to be missed in the
Melbourne city central. The gorgeous exterior impresses both visitors and local
Melbournians alike. People are eager to take a peep at the long-heard beauty of
the interior: the glamorous boardroom with its custom-built table topped by a
single piece of glass, the rooftop terrace and its exotic garden and aviary,
the intricately crafted ceilings and the extravagant use of marbles. In fact,
the fascination is so strong that many are willing to pay the rather upscale
price for a meal and exclusive guided tour combo to personally experience
the grandeur and inhale the splendor of its exquisite interior.
Location:
Corner of Swanston and Collins Streets
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