The Manchester Unity Building
Crn Swanston St & Collins St

This is the sort of building you look up and expect to see Clark Kent paragliding down in his Superman tights. Not so much strictly art deco as neo-gothic, the building has a myriad of vertical, terracotta clad ‘fins’ streching upwards towards the bell tower. A smattering of gargoyles feeds the ‘gothic’ theme and the scale of the building adds to it being one of a handful of truly eye catching Melbourne buildings. Designed by Marcus Barlow in 1929, it was, for a time, the tallest building in Melbourne. It apparently shot up at a rate of knots, with work being conducted ‘round the clock in three 8 hour shifts. Like most heritage buildings in Melbourne, it was originally designed as an office block but now functions as a residential apartment block.

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