Fitzroy Street St Kilda

Love some wining or dining in the sun?

Then The Espy Sunroom is for you!

It brings you the best of the Espy, where delicious bites, stone-baked pizzas, and signature cocktails flow freely.

Located in the former Ichi Ni site, this iconic space features secluded dining nooks, a relaxed atmosphere, and open-air drinking on a spacious deck.

Whether you’re stopping by during the week for a pub classic as the sun sets over the bay, or visiting on the weekend to soak up the buzzing atmosphere with some of Melbourne’s best funk and soul DJs, Espy Sunroom is THE place to be.

#espy #hotelesplanade #theespy #espysunroom #cocktails #sundeck #outdoordining #alfresco #funkandsoul #stkildaicon #Fitzroystprecinct

In the 1920s, Fitzroy Street transformed itself from a boulevard of stately mansions to a densely packed rental residential and retail strip. Summerland Mansions were the flagship of that sea change.

The old mansion, “Summerland”, was demolished and the entire site was developed as spacious, cosmopolitan flats, with shops and restaurants along its new retail frontage.

(Main block 1920, rear block 1921, architect/developer Christopher Cowper.)

Though each flat was large, it was equipped with only a small kitchen -- the thought being that residents would generally take their main meals in the dining room / restaurant below, or have them sent up. Grand central staircases (still existing) led directly down to the dining room (now the ‘Pyramid’ tenancy space).

Council withheld the permit for the rear block, saying not enough useful open space had been left on the site. Cowper scrapped a large portion of the rear roof structure and built a useful roof deck there instead.

Hiding behind Summerland’s gracious Arts and Crafts roofline is an early moment of functional flat-roofed Modernism.

Text and (recent) images by: David Brand
David Brand is an architect, historian and former City of Port Phillip councillor
Historical images courtesy St Kilda Historical Society

#melbournearchitecture #visitmelbourne #architecturelovers #igarchitecture #architexture #melbourne_insta #fitzroystreet #historicmelbourne #melbournehistory #localhistory #stkilda #stkildalife #stkildamelbourne #stkildahistory #fitzroystreet

HUGE congrats to the winners of our streetfront decoration competition for Pride March - St Kilda Convenience Store and @proudpetslave.

Thanks for bringing the colour and festivity to the street for this annual celebration! 🌈

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