Gaze upon this sleek building with its angular lines and black and white vertical terracotta tiles. It is Akira House, a testament to the Art Deco architectural movement that swept through Melbourne in the 1930s.
This is no ordinary building. This is a historical gem. The blue plaque is more than just a sign. It tells a story. A story about a prominent businessman named Harold Cohen who commissioned this architectural masterpiece as an investment.
Akira House is more than just a stylish building. It is a testament to the daring design of James Wardrop, the architect behind the Shrine of Remembrance. Wardrop dared to introduce a new style to Melbourne, one that was inspired by European trends, particularly the Dutch and German experiments in glass, vitrolite, and terracotta.
This building was so innovative for its time that it was even the first building in Australia to use glass bricks. Wardrop used these glass bricks to create a waterfall tower, which rises like a spire above the building.
Akira House, with its daring design, is a treasure for Melbourne city, a story etched in stone and glass, a story waiting to be told.