Their days are numbered

The other day I happened across these hand-painted numbers over the entry ways to the Melbourne Brewing & Malting Company’s Ale Stores.


There appears to be no door 1 or 2, and the number over 14 had been completely worn away, but the rest were there to be seen. I've posted a large image, so click on the link to view them up close. The numbers are spaced across the two horizontal white strips above the roller doors in the image below.


Erected in 1883, the building is just a shell now, but it’s on a large empty block that I imagine will be developed eventually. I’m sure the building will be worked into whatever development springs up, like the Shot Tower in Melbourne Central, but I can’t imagine these old numbers will survive.

I love a good bit of hand-painted lettering (and indeed, numbering), although to my eye the lower-half of the ‘8’ seems a bit squashed, like a tomato that’s been left out in the sun. Would’ve been a fun day’s work painting these, and the artist clearly loves a good 3D effect. Although I can’t quite work out what’s going on with the sort-of white shadow beneath the relief. Almost looks like an even older set of numbers than these ones were painted over?

Despite their worn state, the gold paint still gleams, and when the angle was right the winter sun really made them sparkle. Who needs backlit signage when you’ve got the sun and a specific angle at a certain time on a cloudless day?


If any sort of development gets underway I’ll post an update, so stay posted. Although not too posted, because I don’t imagine anything will happen soon. And, to be honest, when it does it’ll most likely just be a photo of newly applied whitewash anyway, so… you know, can’t wait for that one.

UPDATE (12/12): Well, there's movement at the station! Or an announcement, at least. RMIT has sold 1.6 hectares of the old CUB site to Grocon, and retained 0.3 hectares for the development of their own "significant and innovative academic building". As predicted, Daniel Grollo pledged, “The heritage aspects of the old Malthouse building and the bluestone facades fronting Bouverie Street will be incorporated into the development," but made no specific mention of the old hand-painted numbers. Surely an oversight? The article also says the CUB brewery was demolished in 1989, and RMIT bought the site from the government of Nauru in 1998 for $25 million (which is a lot of Student Union fees).

Here's a picture of the site as of October 2006. Mr Google, please let me know if I'm infringing your copyright by reproducing this image here. It's still on your servers, so it hasn't moved too far from home. Yours sincerely, etc, etc.