The "Lyndale" Flats - Elwood
The "Lyndale" flats are a two storey complex in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood. Their facade of partially stuccoed and partially exposed brick is very Art Deco in style. The speed lines picked out in clinker brick around the walls and the stepped detailing under the eaves with its geometric pattern also picked out in clinker bricks all pay homage to the chic, uncluttered lines of Art Deco architecture. The arched windows both upstairs and down would originally have been a loggia and therefore open to the elements. Like many such features, the Depression of the 1930s saw these spaces enclosed to form extra rooms for family to stay in, or to lease out to earn much needed income.
After the Great War (1914 - 1918), higher costs of living and the "servant problem" made living in the grand mansions and villas built in the Victorian and Edwardian eras a far less practical and attractive option for both those looking for new housing, and those who lived in big houses. It was around this time, in answer to these problems, that flats and apartments began to replace some larger houses, and became fashionable to live in.
Flats like those found in the "Lyndale" complex would have suited those of comfortable means who could afford to live in Elwood, and dispense with the difficulties of keeping a large retinue of staff. With clean lines and large windows, it mirrored the prevailing uncluttered lines of architecture that came out of England after the war.
The "Lyndale" Flats - Elwood
The "Lyndale" flats are a two storey complex in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood. Their facade of partially stuccoed and partially exposed brick is very Art Deco in style. The speed lines picked out in clinker brick around the walls and the stepped detailing under the eaves with its geometric pattern also picked out in clinker bricks all pay homage to the chic, uncluttered lines of Art Deco architecture. The arched windows both upstairs and down would originally have been a loggia and therefore open to the elements. Like many such features, the Depression of the 1930s saw these spaces enclosed to form extra rooms for family to stay in, or to lease out to earn much needed income.
After the Great War (1914 - 1918), higher costs of living and the "servant problem" made living in the grand mansions and villas built in the Victorian and Edwardian eras a far less practical and attractive option for both those looking for new housing, and those who lived in big houses. It was around this time, in answer to these problems, that flats and apartments began to replace some larger houses, and became fashionable to live in.
Flats like those found in the "Lyndale" complex would have suited those of comfortable means who could afford to live in Elwood, and dispense with the difficulties of keeping a large retinue of staff. With clean lines and large windows, it mirrored the prevailing uncluttered lines of architecture that came out of England after the war.