Description

IMPORTANT: The Catani Clock Tower has very recently been deemed structurally unsound, in the interests of public safety, regrettably we cannot go ahead with accessing the interior of the Clock Tower as a part of the tours with Meyer Eidelson. The tours will still go ahead as advertised and we apologise to all who had hoped to visit the tower interior.

The Catani Clock Tower was unveiled to the public on Tuesday 23 August 1932. The Clock Tower was suggested as a memorial for former Victorian Public Works Department engineer Carlo Catani after his death in 1918. Commissioned by St Kilda City Council and the memorial committee, the tower cost approximately 2,800 pounds to build. Designed by Norman E. Schefferle in an Italian Renaissance style, the brick clock tower also features a bronze bust of Catani at its foot, created by artist Paul Raphael Montford.

The St Kilda foreshore is the traditional land of the people of the Kulin Nations. In the 1880s, St Kilda became known as a seaside playground, which led to plans for the beautification of the foreshore. The St Kilda Foreshore Trust Committee oversaw the commissioning of ornamental gardens and coastal parkland designed by Victorian Public Works Department Engineer-in-Chief, Carlo Giorgio Domenico Enrico Catani (1852 – 1918). The gardens were named in his honour following his death.

What's On

Visit the Esplanade Vaults, then join one of three 40-minute guided tours with historian Meyer Eidelson to explore the Catani Rockeries and Clock Tower.