Alkira House is a historic building in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. It is widely regarded as one of Melbourne’s most stunning examples of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

architecture. Built in 1936 by architect, James Wardrop, Alkira House is located at 18 Queen Street. James Wardrop is also the architect responsible for designing the

Shrine of Remembrance The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as The Shrine) is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but ...

. One of the most striking features of the building is the use of

Glazed architectural terra-cotta Glazed architectural terra cotta is a ceramic masonry building material used as a decorative skin. It was popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and is still one of the most common building materials found i ...

and

glass brick Glass brick, also known as glass block, is an architectural element made from glass. The appearance of glass blocks can vary in color, size, texture and form. Glass bricks provide visual obscuration while admitting light. The modern glass block w ...

. It was, in fact, the first building in Australia to use glass bricks in its construction. Cleverly designed, the black and white vertical terracotta tiles on the façade take the eye on a journey over six levels to the 'empire-state-like' steeple on top, forming an architectural spine through the centre of the building. Alkira House is listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. ...

and has at least one apartment available for short term stays on the 2nd floor at Apartment Alkira.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=http://apartmentalkira.com.au/melbourne-shortstay/ , title=Melbourne short term rental apartment at Melbourne Short Stay Apartment Alkira , accessdate=12 July 2010 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018014715/http://apartmentalkira.com.au/melbourne-shortstay/ , archivedate=18 October 2010 , url-status=dead {{cite web, url=http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/heritage/790 , title=Victorian Heritage Database - 18 QUEEN STREET MELBOURNE, Melbourne City (ALKIRA HOUSE) , publisher=Victorian Heritage , accessdate=12 July 2010 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706122755/http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/heritage/790 , archivedate=2011-07-06 , url-status=live

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20090916070642/http://apartmentalkira.com.au/ Art Deco architecture in Melbourne Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne 1936 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures in Melbourne City Centre Buildings and structures completed in 1936