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Edgewater Towers North elevation in sunshine brightly illuminating the white facade colour.
Edgewater Towers West elevation showing the very close proximity to the beach and bay at dusk.
Edgewater Towers communal rooftop terrace with residents BBQing.
Edgewater Towers lobby with colourful terrazzo flooring, timber screen and copper mailboxes.
Edgewater Towers lobby with archival information wall display and OHM visitors.

Edgewater Towers

Mordechai Benshemesh 1961, Opat Architects 2012-2023

Description

Driving along Marine Parade, St Kilda, you can’t miss Edgewater Towers. It is the only high-rise apartment building south of Luna Park.

When the building was completed in 1961, it was advertised as luxurious Manhattan-style living only minutes from Collins Street. The building’s International Style architecture and multi-storey slab construction were new to Melbourne. Edgewater Towers was designed by émigré architect Mordechai Benshemesh, who, along with architects Harry Seidler and Neville Gruzman, was a staunch advocate for high-density apartment buildings. 

Many people have called Edgewater Towers home, including 1920s-30s Tour de France cyclist and politician Sir Hubert Opperman, automotive engineer Josef Ganz (who's now recognised as the originator of the Volkswagen car), and the mother of artist Sidney Nolan, Dora Irene Nolan.

The building retains many original midcentury-modern features in the lobby, such as terrazzo flooring, glass tiles and a curved stone wall. A new lift, recently completed, provides wheelchair access directly to the communal rooftop recreation area designed by Opat Architects.

What's On

Enjoy a self-guided tour of the lobby and view information collected by our Edgewater Towers historians, including original advertising material, architects' drawings and apartment interiors imagery. You’ll be able to speak to some of the residents to find out what it’s like to live in an iconic building, before heading to the rooftop in groups of 10 for 360° views of the city and the bay.

Images: (1-5) Edgewater Towers, St Kilda. All photos: courtesy of Peter Bennetts.

Important Details

Time & Date

Saturday 27 July
Open access 9am-5pm
Tours running every 30 minutes starting at 9am. Last tour departs 4:30pm.
Running for 25 minutes in groups of 10

Enter from Marine Parade gate.

ACCESSIBILITY

Fully wheelchair accessible, Elevator access

Location

12 Marine Pde, St Kilda VIC 3182

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