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42-601: The Block Arcade is a historic shopping arcade in the central business district of Melbourne , Victoria, Australia . Constructed between 1891 and 1893, it is considered one of the late Victorian era's finest shopping arcades and ranks among Melbourne's most popular tourist attractions. Designed by architects Twentyman & Askew, the Block is one of Melbourne's most richly decorated interior spaces, replete with mosaic tiled flooring, glass canopy supported in cast and wrought iron, and tall, elaborate timber shop fronts. The arcade

84-539: A covered access from the Block Arcade to Little Collins Street. This in turn led to the development of shops in the lane, which was soon renamed Block Place. In 1902, Royal Arcade , which has been a dead end, was opened through to Little Collins Street creating a covered walk from Collins right through to Bourke Street. The design is often said to have been inspired by the 1870s Galleria Vittorio in Milan, which has

126-623: A face-lift recently and entered the 21st century as one of the most fashionable shopping centres in Eastern Europe . An early French arcade is the Passage du Caire created in 1798 as a tribute to the French campaign in Egypt and Syria . It was appreciated by the public for its protection from the weather, noise and filth of the streets. A year later American architect William Thayer created

168-482: A general word for a group of shops in a single building, regardless of the architectural form . The word "arcade" comes from French arcade from Provençal arcada or Italian arcata , based on Latin arcus , ‘bow’ (see arc and arch ). A related but ambiguous term is arcature , which is either a small arcade or a blind arcade . Arcades go back to at least the Ancient Greek architecture of

210-424: A less expensive and more functional Neoclassical design submitted by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe (1729–1800). Throughout the following century, Gostiny Dvor was augmented, resulting in ten indoor streets and as many as 178 shops by the 20th century. During the post- World War II reconstructions, its inner walls were demolished and a huge shopping mall came into being. This massive 18th-century structure got

252-513: A side offshoot to Elizabeth Street . It is the oldest surviving arcade in Australia, known for its elegant light-filled interior, and the large carved mythic figures of Gog and Magog flanking the southern entry. Along with Melbourne's other Victorian era arcade, the nearby Block Arcade , it is a tourist icon of the city, and forms part of the network of lanes and arcades in the CBD. The arcade

294-542: A similar domed crossing, but on a much vaster scale. In the 1986, the arcade was purchased by the Time Corporation for AU$ 15 million. By 1991, Westpac took over the mortgage and sold the building to the Kearney family in 1993 at public auction. The Kearneys undertook extensive refurbishment, repairing the mosaic floors, repainting the interior in heritage colours, and renovating the office spaces above. In 2014,

336-543: Is L-shaped with an octagonal rotunda at the corner, connecting Collins Street at the south end to Elizabeth Street on the west. On the north side, the arcade connects to Block Place , a covered pedestrian lane that leads to Little Collins Street , opposite Melbourne's oldest shopping arcade, the Royal Arcade . The Block Arcade's six-storey external façades on both Collins and Elizabeth streets are some of Australia's best surviving examples of Victorian architecture in

378-403: Is another early shopping arcade. Sprawling at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and Sadovaya Street for over one kilometer and embracing the area of 53,000 m (570,000 sq ft), the indoor complex of more than 100 shops took twenty-eight years to construct. Building commenced in 1757 to an elaborate design by Bartolomeo Rastrelli , but that subsequently was discarded in favour of

420-651: Is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register , as well as by the National Trust of Australia . It also forms part of Melbourne's Golden Mile heritage walk. Designed by Charles Webb , who won a competition in 1868, the arcade features a high glass roof and rows of arched windows to the storerooms above each shop. It was formally opened by the City Lord Mayor on 2 May, 1870. The arcade's most famous features were added in 1893; at

462-608: The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert in Brussels which was inaugurated in 1847 and Istanbul's Çiçek Pasajı opened in 1870. Shopping arcades were the precursor to the modern shopping mall , and the word "arcade" is now often used for malls which do not use the architectural form at all. The Palais-Royal , which opened in 1784 and became one of the most important marketplaces in Paris, is generally regarded as

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504-625: The Hellenistic period , and were much used by the Romans, for example at the base of the Colosseum . Church cloisters very often use arcading. Islamic architecture very often uses arcades in and outside mosques in particular. In Renaissance architecture elegant arcading was often used as a prominent feature of facades, for example in the Ospedale degli Innocenti (commissioned 1419) or

546-578: The Mannerist style . The arcade takes its name from the practice of "doing the block": dressing fashionably and promenading the section of Collins Street between Elizabeth and Swanston streets. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register . By the late 1870s, the north side of Collins Street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets had become the favoured promenade of Melbourne's well-to-do, who went there to frequent its prestigious shops and cafes, and to see and be seen as they walked from one end to

588-546: The Passage des Panoramas with a row of shops passing between two panorama paintings. Shopping arcades increasingly were built in the second Bourbon Restoration . Upper levels of arcades often contained apartments and sometimes brothels . Royal Arcade, Melbourne The Royal Arcade is a historic shopping arcade in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria , Australia. Opened in 1870, it connects Bourke Street Mall to Little Collins Street , with

630-543: The Block Arcade with the removal of one of the shopfronts in the Elizabeth Street wing. At some point this building was bought by the owners of the Block Arcade, and they are still in the same ownership. In the 1990s, as part of the restoration of the Block Arcade, the shop was reinstated, and the north end of the Block Court arcade was closed off, and the shopfronts removed to create a large area shop. In 2016,

672-543: The Block Court Arcade was partially restored, reinstating the shopfronts, but as counters for a branch of the Bendigo Bank , with access through the rear to a laneway and then into the Block Arcade. The Hopetoun Tea Rooms opened in 1894, established by 'society girl' Miss Chrissie Robertson, 'daintily appointed' and intended for her society friends who did not wish to patronise ordinary tea rooms. Moving to

714-510: The Cohen family purchased the Block Arcade. The Cohen family have had long ties with Melbourne which date back to the 1840s, when Trevor Cohen's great great grandfather struck one of the first leases in Melbourne, for the ground floor of the nearby 'Cashmore's Corner' on the northeast corner of Collins and Elizabeth Streets, and where his great grandmother was born. The Cohens are passionate about

756-695: The Collins Street portion of the arcade was purchased by William Briscoe & Son. The Briscoes Bulk Grain Store occupied the site from 1856 to 1883, building a large new premises in 1877. In 1883, the building was sold to the George brothers' George & George Federal Emporium, established in 1880 a few doors up, who refurbished the interior for their expanding drapery business (which would eventually become Georges Store ). Financier and landboomer Benjamin Fink

798-640: The High Street front with its four entrances. In 1772, the newly formed Market committee, half of whose members came from the town and half from the university, accepted an estimate of nine hundred and sixteen pounds ten shillings, for the building of twenty butchers' shops. Twenty more soon followed, and after 1773 meat was allowed to be sold only inside the market. From this nucleus the market grew, with stalls for garden produce, pig meat, dairy products and fish. Gostiny Dvor in St Petersburg , Russia

840-460: The Palais-Royal became one of the first examples of a new style of shopping arcade, frequented by both the aristocracy and the middle classes. It developed a reputation as being a site of sophisticated conversation, revolving around the salons, cafés, and bookshops, but also became a place frequented by off-duty soldiers and was a favourite haunt of prostitutes, many of whom rented apartments in

882-465: The arts of photography to the general public, and the store sold parts, cameras, and equipment to both amateurs and professionals. It retains an elaborate pressed metal ceiling. Arcade (architecture) Blind arcades are a feature of Romanesque architecture that influenced Gothic architecture . In the Gothic architectural tradition, the arcade can be located in the interior, in the lowest part of

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924-474: The building. One of the earliest British examples of a shopping arcade, the Covered Market, Oxford , England was officially opened on 1 November 1774 and is still active today. The Covered Market was started in response to a general wish to clear "untidy, messy and unsavoury stalls" from the main streets of central Oxford. John Gwynn , the architect of Magdalen Bridge , drew up the plans and designed

966-584: The courtyard of the Palazzo Bardi , both by Filippo Brunelleschi in Florence . The French architect, Bertrand Lemoine, described the period, 1786 to 1935, as l’Ère des passages couverts (the Arcade Era). He was referring to the grand shopping "arcades" that flourished across Europe during that period. A shopping arcade refers to a multiple-vendor space, operating under a covered roof. Typically,

1008-547: The current rooms in 1907, it was redecorated in 1976 in Victorian style, with emerald and black wallpaper, and velvet ceiling hangings, designed by interior designer Murray Sheldrick. The Hopetoun Tea Rooms are sometimes confused with the tea room located in the rotunda of the Ladies Work Association, a charity for upper class women who had fallen on hard times, which operated from 1891-c1900, and whose patron

1050-452: The earliest example of the grand shopping arcades. Originally, a royal palace, the complex consisted of gardens, shops and entertainment venues situated under the original colonnades. The area boasted some 145 boutiques, cafés, salons, hair salons, bookshops, museums, and numerous refreshment kiosks as well as two theatres. The retail outlets specialised in luxury goods such as fine jewellery, furs, paintings and furniture designed to appeal to

1092-861: The earliest open loggias include: Mercato Nuovo (1547) by Giovanni Battista del Tasso (and funded by the Medici family ); Mercato Vecchio, Florence by Giorgio Vasari (1567) and Loggia del Grano (1619) by Giulio Parigi . Arcades soon spread across Europe, North America and the antipodes. Examples of these grand shopping arcades include: Palais Royal in Paris (opened in 1784); Passage de Feydeau in Paris (opened in 1791); London's Piccadilly Arcade (1810) and Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (1878). Some examples of arcades in North America include New York's Paddock Arcade (1850), Ohio's Dayton Arcade (1904), and Rhode Island's Westminster Arcade (1828). Other notable nineteenth century grand arcades include

1134-690: The grand shopping arcades may have derived from the fashionable open loggias of Florence however medieval vernacular examples known as 'butterwalks' were traditional jettied colonnades in British and North European marketplaces; examples remain for example in Totnes and Dartmouth in Devon . During the 16th-century, a pattern of market trading using mobile stalls under covered arcades was established in Florence, from where it spread throughout Italy. Examples of

1176-426: The harsh elements, and a safe haven where people could socialise and spend their leisure time. As thousands of glass covered arcades spread across Europe, they became grander and more ornately decorated. By the mid-nineteenth century, they had become prominent centres of fashion and social life. Promenading in these arcades became a popular nineteenth-century pastime for the emerging middle classes. The inspiration for

1218-505: The name 'The Block' revealed soon after. The Collins Street leg was built first, which was completed by late 1891, to little fanfare, with the grand opening of the whole arcade on 7 October 1893. The Collins Street leg has an angled kink because the site narrows part way up due to the presence of a narrow laneway on the west side. Originally known as Carpenters Lane, the City Property Co successfully petitioned to roof it, creating

1260-607: The new site. The fire occurred at the height of the land boom of the 1880s, when Melbourne grew enormously and many large and elaborate hotels shops and office blocks rose in the city. The fire allowed the City Property & Co Pty Ltd (principal shareholder Benjamin Fink) to proceed with plans to create a sumptuous arcade on this central site, hiring architects Twentyman & Askew to design it, announced in January 1890, with

1302-657: The other. This practice became known as "doing the block". Author Fergus Hume described "doing the block" in his novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab , first published in Melbourne in 1886: It was Saturday morning and fashionable Melbourne was 'doing the block'. Collins Street is to the Southern city what Bond Street and the Row are to London, and the Boulevards to Paris... Carriages were bowling smoothly along, their occupants smiling and bowing as they recognized their friends on

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1344-494: The precinct, and continue to maintain the Block Arcade to its former glory with an eye for detail. The building adjacent to the Block Arcade at 288-292 Collins Street was built in 1890 as the Athenaeum Club , and in 1930 the ground floor was converted into an arcade, designed by noted architect Harry Norris , one of the earliest and most elaborate Art Deco interiors in Melbourne. This arcade originally connected through to

1386-424: The roof was constructed of glass to allow for natural light and to reduce the need for candles or electric lighting. The 18th and 19th century arcades were designed to attract the genteel middle classes. In time, these arcades came to be the place to shop and to be seen. Arcades offered shoppers the promise of an enclosed space away from the chaos that characterised the noisy, dirty streets; a warm, dry space away from

1428-483: The side walk... Portly merchants, forgetting Flinders Lane and incoming ships, walked beside pretty daughters; and the representatives of swelldom were stalking along in their customary apparel of curly brimmed hats, high collars and immaculate suits. Altogether it was a pleasant and animated scene... On 1 June 1837, the first auctions of blocks in what is now the Melbourne CBD took place. The block now occupied by

1470-469: The south end, the carved mythical figures of Gog and Magog (based on those in London's Guildhall), flank the large 'Gaunt's clock', which triggers the arms of the figures to strike bells each hour, while the north end features a figure of Father Time . Gaunt was Melbourne's best known clock-maker at the time. The arcade originally ended at the south end, with an entrance to a Turkish Bath , but this

1512-445: The wall of the nave , supporting the triforium and the clerestory in a cathedral , or on the exterior, in which they are usually part of the walkways that surround the courtyard and cloisters . A different, related meaning is "a covered passage with shops on one or both sides". Many medieval open arcades housed shops or stalls, either in the arcaded space itself, or set into the main wall behind. From this, "arcade" has become

1554-530: The wealthy elite. Retailers operating out of the Palais complex were among the first in Europe to abandon the system of bartering, and adopt fixed-prices thereby sparing their clientele the hassle of bartering. Stores were fitted with long glass exterior windows which allowed the emerging middle-classes to window shop and indulge in fantasies, even when they may not have been able to afford the high retail prices. Thus,

1596-479: Was Lady Hopetoun. The business went into receivership in 2020, and along with the right to the name was sold to a new owner who opened a new Hopetoun Tea Room in Bourke Street, with the arcade tea rooms reopened by the Cohen family as The Tea Rooms 1892. The Singer Sewing Machine Company moved into the shop on the eastern side of the Collins Street entrance in 1902, where it remained for many years. The shop

1638-591: Was a director of the company, and by 1888 had plans to relocate the store and create an L-shaped arcade in the area, and began buying up properties. In 1888 Fink bought the Equitable Co-operative store at 162 Collins Street, and made it a branch of George’s. At 6:15 pm on Friday 13 September 1889, a huge fire gutted the Georges Emporium, causing over AU$ 400,00 worth of damage, and accelerating Finks plans, with George’s consolidated at

1680-413: Was opened up to Little Collins Street in 1902, along with the creation of the large arched niche, and in the same year an extension was added to the west side through to Elizabeth Street . The shopfronts were all changed into bow fronted windows in 1890-1894, later many altered again, various central kiosks were added, and the black and white chequered floor laid in 1934. In the 1920s, the cast iron verandah

1722-427: Was popular with female patrons, and sewing classes were run in the basement. Phillip Goatcher , scenic artist, was commissioned to paint an elaborate mural on the ceiling, still in place. In the shop to the left of the Collins Street entrance, the Block Arcade also housed the first Kodak store in Melbourne, the camera company from Rochester, New York . Kodak allowed the average person to take photographs and promoted

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1764-417: Was removed, but was recreated in the 1990s. In 2002-04 a major refurbishment and restoration included the recreation the 1894 shopfronts, bringing a consistency to the shopfronts once more. In c2010, the facade was repainted in a yellow and white colour scheme, with gilded highlights. The arcade's main entry faces Bourke Street , and it connects south through to Little Collins Street , with an extension in

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