User:Mordechai Benshemesh/sandbox

Edgewater Towers, 12 Marine Parade, St Kilda

Mordechai Benshemesh (born 16 January 1911) was an Australian Architect from Tel Aviv Palestine. [1] Polytechnical School in Tel Aviv between 1930-33 before travelling to London where he completed diplomas from Institute of Engineering Technology) and International Correspondence School. [2] Australia where he produced his most notable work. When Benshemesh arrived on 13th of June he spent the first decade working in numerous Melbourne architects; most notably Arthur W Plaisted (1940-41) H R Johnson (1946-49). He opened his own practicing firm in 1950, where he gained reputation for multi-storey apartment designs, primarily within the St. Kilda area.[1] Benshemesh died on the 22nd.

Personal life

Mordechai Benshemesh (born 16 January 1911) was an Australian Architect from Tel Aviv Palestine. [1] Polytechnical School in Tel Aviv between 1930-33 before travelling to London where he completed diplomas from Institute of Engineering Technology) and International Correspondence School. [2] Australia where he produced his most notable work. When Benshemesh arrived on 13th of June he spent the first decade working in numerous Melbourne architects; most notably Arthur W Plaisted (1940-41) H R Johnson (1946-49). He opened his own practicing firm in 1950, where he gained reputation for multi-storey apartment designs, primarily within the St. Kilda area.[1] Benshemesh died on the 22nd.

Ground and typical floorplans of Edgewater Towers

Edgewater Towers

Edgewater Towers constructed in 1959-1960, located at 12 Marine Parade, St Kilda. When construction was complete the tower was advertised in the AGE as `everything you'd find in a Manhattan building’ (3). The apartment block was important at the time as it was one of the first multistorey apartment blocks not only in St Kilda but also through out the suburbs. The tower supports 100 one bedroom and two bedroom apartments all with patios, laundry and garbage disposal chutes, lounge rooms and dinettes. Through out the 1960’s numerous planning permits were permitted to allow enclosed baloneys (4). The design of the Edgewater Towers is considered in the style international modernism and is constructed largely out of reinforced concrete.

Apartment drawing showing conversion from restaurant of Edgewater Towers

List of Buildings

• 1951 -Factory, Blackshaws Road, Spotswood
• 1953 -Flats, (Barkly Lodge), 289 Barkly Street, St Kilda (three storey)
• 1955 -Flats (Elizabeth Lodge), St Kilda Road, Melbourne
• 1957 -Flats (Gilbert Court), 26W Toorak Road, Toorak (four storey)
• 1959 -Flats, 43-44 Marine Parade, St Kilda (three storey)
• 1959 -Flats, 11 Marine Parade, St Kilda (four storey)
• 1960 -Flats for Edgewater Towers Pty Ltd, 12 Marine Parade, St Kilda (13 storey)
• 1960 -Flats for Pavic Investments, Toorak Road, South Yarra (11 storey) (Designed and not constructed)
• 1960 -Danglow Wing, Montefiore Home for the Aged, St Kilda Road, Melbourne
• 1960 -Flats for Westbury Co-operative Housing Society Ltd, 8 Westbury Street, St Kilda East
• 1961 -Flats (St Ives), 166 Toorak Road, South Yarra (ten storey)
• 1962 -Palm Lake Motel, 52 Queens Road, Melbourne
• 1963 -Flats (Questa Heights), 21 Upper Esplanade, St Kilda (ten storey)
• 1967 -Office building for General Insurance Company, 610 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
• 1971 -Office building, 98-100 Albert Road, South Melbourne
• 1971 -Office building (Nilex House), 10 Queens Road, Melbourne
• 1973 -Cool store for BSC Containers, Appleton Dock, Footscray

Refrences

1. Australian Motel Owner’s Journal, December 2010, page 10
2. http://www.builtheritage.com.au/dua_benshemesh.html
3. 'Age', 'Sun', 4 November 1960
4. City of Port Phillip Heritage Review, citation no: 2049