Discover parts unknown across our vibrant city and explore four major design precincts virtually with Open House Melbourne. Explore the City of Boroondara’s historic built environment and participate in virtual tours, workshops and experience buildings brought to life through emerging contemporary music performances.
In 2020 you can virtually visit…
Villa Alba
Thursday, 16 July from 6pm – Virtual Tour
Villa Alba is an 1880s Italianate mansion overlooking the Yarra at Studley Park and housing one of the most important examples of late nineteenth-century decoration in Australia. Now a museum, the mansion features rare hand-painted, stencilled and gilded decoration by renowned Scottish-trained interior designers, the Paterson Brothers.
Due to the renewed lockdown restrictions, Open House Melbourne, MPavilion and Melbourne Music Week will be postponing the announced MERGE
Tay
Creggan
Thursday, 16 July 6pm – virtual tour & minecraft tour
Saturday, 25 July from 10am – Online mini-lessons
Tay Creggan is another magnificent heritage building along the Yarra that was originally built as a family home by architect Robert Guyon Purchas in 1893 and is known for its picturesque, red brick, Victorian Queen Anne Revival style. Since 1969, the ‘house on the rocks’ has been Strathcona Girls Grammar’s Year 9 campus.
Take a virtual tour complete with 360-degree images of the two-storey relic from Thursday 16th July and learn about what makes the building tick, as told by students from Strathcona Girls Grammar. An impressive Minecraft tour of Tay Creggan that has been designed by two Year 9 students is also available to explore or download. Going live on Saturday 25th July, kids at home can also take a mini class on how to cook risotto, do a science experiment, or explore the world of performance.
Kew Court House
Sunday, 26 July at 2.30pm – Live Panel Discussion
Built in 1888, the Kew Court House is a prominent fixture at Kew Junction and a hub for community arts and culture. Boroondara Arts invites you to a live online panel discussion with the Kew Historical Society. We’ll discuss the evolution of the Kew Court House, celebrating the many ways in which this building has been a part of the community since the 19th Century.
Hawthorn Arts Centre
Saturday, 25 July at 2.30pm – live panel discussion
From its breathtaking front façade to the stunning art-deco chandeliers in the Main Hall, the Hawthorn Arts Centre is one of Melbourne’s most beautiful buildings.
Boroondara Arts invites you to a live online panel discussion with the Hawthorn Historical Society. We’ll discuss the evolution of the Hawthorn Arts Centre, celebrating the many ways in which this building has been a part of the community since the 19th Century.
Lyon Housemuseum
Blurring the lines between art and architecture, the suburban spectacle that is Lyon Housemuseum (pictured right) in Kew will be a building highlight for many design and contemporary art lovers alike. The unique home property that doubles as a private museum was designed by celebrated architect Corbett Lyon and his wife Yueji Lyon, who was instrumental in establishing the public extension of the Housemuseum gallery that opened in 2019.
Open House audiences will receive a digital view inside the home restoration while catching a glimpse of the family’s expansive art collection. Enjoy an Instagram Live virtual tour and Q&A session led by Corbett Lyon, as well as a behind the scenes look of the custom-designed organ that will include a short performance by the architect himself.
