44 Miller Street

The first building to face Miller Street, West Melbourne in 1851 was the Benevolent Asylum running from Curzon to Abbotsford Streets on its northern side. The southern side of the street contained predominantly single and double storey Victorian era residential dwellings, a milk bar/confectioner shop near the corner of Abbotsford as well as some green grocers and a bakery on the northern side between Abbotsford and Stawell Streets.

Further west was once the famous Brockoff biscuit factory which later merged with Arnott’s in 1963, the factory has been converted into flats.

After the demolition of the Asylum, all that piece of the Crown land grant was subdivided up into smaller house blocks and sold off for development which helps to explain why the street has Victoria architecture on one side and Edwardian architecture on the other.

Its historic dwellings have not all been immune from destruction, loosing eight Victorian dwellings and shops as well as the stone Methodist Church building on the southern corner of Miller and Spence Street. They have been replaced by commercial buildings from around 1950’s.

Thankfully the Methodist minister’s manse which can be seen facing onto Spencer at number 660 has survived the wrecking ball. Built by brothers James, John and Alfred Thurgood who also built sheds A-E at the Queen Victoria Market as well as a long list of other desirable buildings around Melbourne.

Miller streetscape today is characterised by a generous number of surviving heritage dwellings, with an addition of some commercial buildings at the western end.

There is a huge push by the local and State Government to increase the density of residents living in West Melbourne. Existing residents already in the area would do well to keep their eyes open for any new multi-storey development proposals slated for this street that may undermine the historic nature and charm of this very early historic residential area.

In some cases, unrestricted increases in density and taller building heights than heights of the existing streetscape can be detrimental to current residents’ enjoyment of amenity and quality of life.