Normally Melbourne’s Windsor Hotel is viewed from the front entrance on Spring Street.
Where trams trundle past on their loop of the city.
You might look at it from the south-east corner, where Little Collins and Spring Streets meet.
Or from the steps of Parliament House, where numerous skyscrapers loom large overhead.
However the side people don’t normally see is the brick wall along the back laneway.
Come November 2014 everything seen above will be history, demolished as part of the $325 million redevelopment of the Hotel Windsor that will see a new 27-storey tower erected behind the heritage listed facade.
Footnote
My photo showing the rear of the Hotel Windsor was taken from the top floor of the multistory car park located at the corner of Little Collins Street and McIlwraith Place. Originally known as ‘Kings Parkade’, Wolfgang Sievers photographed the car park when it opened way back in 1966.
The backs of buildings are sometimes more interesting than the front, brickwork, plumbing details and other ‘features’.
Seivers’ pictures of the Kings Parkade are fascinating, what a clean and impressive building. One shot has an assortment of parked cars visible, and the old Southern Cross hotel in the background.
I didn’t notice the old Southern Cross hotel lurking in the background of one of the photos – the contrast between the 1960s cars and the modernist architecture is very stark!
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictures/0/0/3/doc/pi003453.shtml