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Cairo
98-104 Nicholson Street,, FITZROY VIC 3065 - Property No B6298
Cairo
98-104 Nicholson Street,, FITZROY VIC 3065 - Property No B6298
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National Trust
B6298 Cairo
On this page:
Statement of Significance
Cairo is architecturally of National significance as the first and finest example of a serially organised, minimal flat type in Australia and for its innovative and heroic use of concrete construction.
This U-shaped block of 36 Batchelor flats, comprising 26 bedsits and 10 single bed units, was designed by the noted architect, Best Overend of Messrs. Vivian, Taylor, Soilleux and Overend, and built in 1936 by Blease Macpherson & Co. The flats sought a distinctive type of accommodation, the custom designed batchelor flat, previously unavailable in Melbourne, providing maximum amenity in minimum space for minimum rent. The minimal units were supported by a communal dining room, an in-house meal and laundry service, communal flat to roof space and lockable garages. Cairo established a major break with the Maisonette model of flat block, the predominant form of early flats in Melbourne and is significant for introducing the flat to the modernist programme in Australia and for its acknowledgement of the existance of an new, modern way of living.
Cairo succinctly encompassed the concerns of a new generation of architects in Australia. It is significant for the efficiency and modernity achieved in the planning and detailing of its units, for the progressive nature of its housing program and for Overend's heroic use of concrete structure.
Classified: 18/11/1992
This U-shaped block of 36 Batchelor flats, comprising 26 bedsits and 10 single bed units, was designed by the noted architect, Best Overend of Messrs. Vivian, Taylor, Soilleux and Overend, and built in 1936 by Blease Macpherson & Co. The flats sought a distinctive type of accommodation, the custom designed batchelor flat, previously unavailable in Melbourne, providing maximum amenity in minimum space for minimum rent. The minimal units were supported by a communal dining room, an in-house meal and laundry service, communal flat to roof space and lockable garages. Cairo established a major break with the Maisonette model of flat block, the predominant form of early flats in Melbourne and is significant for introducing the flat to the modernist programme in Australia and for its acknowledgement of the existance of an new, modern way of living.
Cairo succinctly encompassed the concerns of a new generation of architects in Australia. It is significant for the efficiency and modernity achieved in the planning and detailing of its units, for the progressive nature of its housing program and for Overend's heroic use of concrete structure.
Classified: 18/11/1992
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