Continental Living: Art Deco & Moderne flats in Port Phillip
About
Join David Helms, City of Port Phillip's Principal Heritage Advisor, to take us on a journey of continental living in the Art Deco and Moderne flats in Port Phillip.Melbourne after World War I faced a housing shortage and flats were seen as a solution to the problem. By the mid-1930s almost as many flats as houses were being built across the city and many of these were in St Kilda. By 1947 St Kilda contained 5,500 flats, a quarter of all flats in Melbourne.
Many of these new flats were built by European migrants and by the early 1930s Melbourne newspapers began to refer to a new domestic architecture, which they described as ‘The Continental Flat’.
‘Continental Flats’ were often distinguished by their Streamline or Jazz Moderne form and detailing, and some of the earliest and best flats in these styles in Melbourne were built in St Kilda and Elwood by leading architects such as Mewton & Grounds, IG Anderson and Stuart Hall.
This presentation will examine the rich architectural legacy of the Art Deco and Moderne flats that have become an integral part of the distinctive identity of the City of Port Phillip.
Join us at 7:30 pm for nibbles and chats before we are seated by 8:00 pm for the presentation.
Date
Thursday 16 April 2026 7:30 PM - 9:45 PM (UTC+11)Location
The Glasshouse Caulfield
31 Station Street, Caulfield East Vic 3145