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well the block arcade is one of the jewels in Melbourne's retail crown
and it's having a notable birthday. It's 120 years since it fully open
for business
with grand entrances on both Collins and Elizabeth streets
and while shopping fads have come and gone the Block has retained it's very
particular sense
of style and service.. Andrew Bell went shopping
The term "The Block"
there's no need to change it no need to try to modernize it
The Block Arcade - "282 Collins Street, Melbourne"
a cathedral of retail born out of calamity
on Friday the 13th of September 1889
fire swept through George and George's Federation store
3 fireman lost their lives...What grew out of the ruins
was something rather special....
architects were briefed to recreate ..."Milan's Galleria Vittorio"
the world's oldest shopping mall but.. what to call it?
.."doing the Block" was a term referring to
the society of Melbourne who would walk
in Collins Street, from Swanston to Elizabeth
and down to little Collins and back up to Swanston
it was called.."doing the block" and they would do that
on a Saturday..When this building
was being redeveloped after the fire the owners
then decided to pick up on the term.."The Block"
and the.."doing the block" actually changed slightly
that they would walk from Swanston to the Block
through it.. and then out into Little Collins
and back to Swanston
...this is the Collins Street facade I can always pick it out in old photographs
by.. you could see the light in the front there.. Eileen Irvine gives guided tours at
The Block Arcade
downstairs and upstairs.. "Now this is interesting..
if you look up here to the left you've got three lovely stained glass
windows.." "Those windows are quite a feature
and something of a historical mystery" .."now we did a lot of research
and we came up with Ferguson and Urie, they close their North Melbourne Warehouse
in 1894 and we opened 1892-1893 so..
we feel these may have been the last windows that they did and they were
responsible
for a lot of the church windows.. That is a remarkable link
nineteenth century Melbourne.. Absolutely, but there is a bigger link, that we are trying to prove
Andrew
and that is that they may indeed have come out from England
and they may indeed be Whitefriars.. and outside as well as inside
there are some hidden delights.. hidden from public view anyhow
it doesn't different when you're above it..
it's a treasure I imagine it is the only place in Melbourne that has something like this
where you actually walk across..Here is another walk way here..
..Meanwhile down below an ever-present
does What its always done.. The Hopetoun Tea Rooms is
is an original..It was called after
lady Hopetoun.. The wife of the then governor.. ..There are a lot of favorites
but I guess some of them
most popular would have to be, .. Pavlova
The Strawberry Sponge
New York cheesecake, Lime Tart, Apple strudel
I can keep going.. and as well as sweetness for the tooth
the block has always offered sweetness for the eye
so this is 1892 as you can see it's the full gown
and it absolutely beautiful lace just so fine..
Christopher Horne is corralling a collection of historic coiture
to celebrate the Block's Anniversary in a fashion show ...
it was..literally a time of going to look at Milinery going to
you know try it on obviously the people
that were in the store were all personalities all beautiful personalities
and knew exactly at what went with what and people love that
...meanwhile back on Eileen's tour..
..so this is as the old arcade used to be
the scales are still down there.. you use to put a penny in them to get you
totally recognizable as the Block ...Absolutley...
Nothing has changed
and that perhaps is the BLOCK secret
over the years.. This was where you came to shop
for all those important purchases if you wanted a new
a really good pair of shoes or..
a hat to go to the races or a wedding.. the Milliners in this building were
outstanding
the jewelers in this building were also outstanding
but the block was a highlight
but that's time and still is.. The building may be timeless
but it's clientele has changed.. It is a tourist attraction
and in these times we are seeing
the benefit of that.. the traffic here
through the arcade is vibrant with the tourists who are coming to the city
put simply.. "Melbourne without the BLOCK..
is unthinkable.." People still
love it, you see grandmothers go in there with their daughters
daughters and their grandchildren
and just look around it's just this
You just aspire
a lovely look to a lovely sky "..Its a great place to shop"
Andrew, enjoying himself way too much
at the Block Arcade, we will have pictures of those historic gowns from the Block's
128 anniversary fashion show in just a moment
before that a reminder that if you want to make a suggestion for a story
you can go to 730 Victoria's website www.abc.net.au/730/vic
www.abc.net.au/730/vic
Now back to the Block Arcade for our final flourish
.....