Beauty in Architecture: The Revival of a Flagship
- computers67
- Aug 21
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 21
On Bourke Street, in the centre of Melbourne’s commercial district, a new chapter in the city’s commercial and cultural story is unfolding. MECCA recently opened the doors to its long-awaited Melbourne flagship store, an ambitious, three-level beauty emporium set to be the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Housed within the heritage-listed former Coles Store (later known as the David Jones building), MECCA Bourke Street represents more than a bold retail expansion. Described by MECCA founder Jo Horgan as a ‘love letter to the city,’ a place where, behind the vibrant makeup counters, fragrance bars, and immersive installations, is a story of architectural revival and cultural stewardship.
With the building’s rich Art Deco heritage and interwar design legacy in mind, MECCA assembled a stellar team to help bring their vision to life, including Studio McQualter, Traditional Restoration Company, and RBA Architects + Conservation Consultants. RBA was engaged to ensure the transformation would not just preserve the past but thoughtfully elevate it. Through a detailed program of heritage investigations, conservation works, and design collaboration, the team worked together to bring the building’s unique character back to life, embedding a sense of authenticity into every corner.
A Retail Giant’s Jewel
The site at 299–307 Bourke Street has been a cornerstone of Melbourne’s retail identity for nearly a century. Originally designed by renowned architect Harry Norris and constructed in two major phases (1929–30 and 1938), the building served as the flagship store for G.J. Coles & Co, then one of Australia’s fastest-growing retail empires. Norris, having travelled extensively throughout the U.S., was heavily influenced by American trends and the Commercial Gothic style to create a bold and colourful façade with rose-toned terracotta tiles, striking vertical ribs, and vibrant Jazz-inspired ornamentation. The vivid design was considered in its day to be among the most exuberant commercial facades in the city.
Inside, the store offered a retail experience unlike anything Melbourne had seen. The ground floor featured wide aisles free of columns, a deliberate design choice that enhanced visibility and flow within a store that sold everything from cosmetics and confectionery to hosiery and household goods. The concrete ceilings were hidden by richly detailed fibrous plasterwork, integrated with mechanical ventilation systems that were, at the time, cutting-edge.
The real showstopper, however, was on the first floor: the Coles Cafeteria, celebrated as the largest in the country upon opening. Designed in a Mexican-inspired Art Deco style, it boasted a spectacular interior featuring over two million ceramic tiles in greens, blacks, and golds; mosaic floors; stylised plaster ceilings; and a distinctive tile dado with native gum nut motifs as a subtle nod to Australian flora. The cafeteria was a destination, beloved by generations of shoppers as a meeting place and urban retreat.
Coles’ flagship store not only set a new benchmark for department store architecture in Australia, but also marked an important chapter in the democratisation of consumerism. With its popular ‘Nothing over 2/6’ ethos, the store made fashionable goods and dining experiences accessible to ordinary Victorians during the Great Depression and postwar years. It remained a cultural institution through the mid-20th century, before eventually becoming part of the David Jones portfolio in 1986.
Almost 100 years later, MECCA is honouring the building’s rich commercial legacy by centring its vivid interwar character and pairing personal beauty with architectural beauty.
MECCA's Vision, Realised Through Heritage Expertise
Transforming a State-registered heritage place into a contemporary flagship store required more than design ambition; it demanded sensitive, informed conservation.
RBA was engaged as the project’s heritage consultant to ensure MECCA’s vision was grounded in a thorough understanding of the building’s cultural significance and conservation needs. Working in close collaboration with MECCA, Studio McQualter, Traditional Restoration Company, Heritage Victoria, and other specialists, RBA developed a strategy that balanced commercial requirements with the retention of significant heritage fabric.
Detailed building investigations revealed original finishes that had been concealed by decades of retail fit-outs. These included intact red-and-yellow terrazzo flooring, fibrous plaster ceilings with original profiles, and the decorative tiled dadoes of the first-floor cafeteria. Each element was documented, assessed, and conserved where possible.
Where material loss had occurred, reproduction and restoration were undertaken. Partnering with London-based tile manufacturer Balineum, the team produced new wall tiles that matched the originals in colour, finish, and size. Even the distinctive gum nut motif tiles were reproduced from detailed measured drawings and photographic evidence.
Externally, RBA, Studio McQualter, Traditional Restoration Company, and UK-based Darwen Terracotta addressed the restoration of the Bourke Street façade and secondary elevation along Union Lane. Both the Bourke St and Little Collins St façades are clad in the original faience, a glazed architectural terra cotta, used externally because of its durability and vibrant colouration. It features original rose-mauve coloured and textured faience blocks manufactured by Wunderlich in the 1930s. The facade works include the Bourke St shopfront, the design and installation of new contemporary faience in a system which interprets the original but is clearly of its time, using manufacturing techniques compatible with the original Wunderlich products.
Through this targeted program of investigation, conservation, reconstruction, and interpretation, the building’s vibrant exterior has been revitalised and will become a central feature of MECCA Bourke Street's identity.
A Flagship That Respects Its Foundations
The result is a flagship store that doesn’t just occupy a historic site, but one that celebrates it. MECCA’s presence in this landmark building has enhanced the commercial experience; it invites visitors into a space where Melbourne’s retail past and present intertwine.
This project is a shining example of what can happen when a bold brand, visionary architects, and empowered conservation specialists come together with shared purpose. The building’s next chapter is one of beauty, heritage, and adaptation guided by MECCA’s vision and enabled by an incredible team of designers, specialists, and advocates for good heritage practice.
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