470-502 Lonsdale Street Melbourne

This rare pair of three storey terraces is one of a handful of original terraces remaining in the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) and has had an interesting life.  It was originally designed by prominent architect Lloyd Tayler.  Shortly after its constuction in 1886 the terraces were converted into a private hospital known as Lonsdale House.  It was used for a brief time by the navy during World War I, served as a music academy, nurses hostel and again a hospital during World War II.   After the war it became the offices of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) before being absorbed into the construction of the County Court complex in the 1990s.

The terrace itself is composed of two symmetrical houses each with a central restrained square classical parapet to conceal a gable roof. The facade features circular balustrades and patterned bracketed frieze over a three storey cast iron dressed verandah and the levels get more detail on the windows toward the base. Fine filigree fretwork is wood framed with corner brackets supported by heavy cast iron columns.

The terrace gained heritage status when it was included in the Melbourne City heritage study in 1984 and has some local protection through a City of Melbourne heritage overlay.