Gainsborough Charles Parsons Building on Brunswick Road

First it was the bricks that I liked about this building. Then it was the Art Deco features above the main entrance and the back entrance, although I am not sure how old the building actually is. It spans a long stretch along Brunswick Road, and I walk past it every time I go to Nicholson Street. However, it will not be there for much longer.

I still remember it being a warehouse sales depot for sheets and other linen items. Then later a part of it was used as a showroom for a new development on the corner of Lygon Street. It was also used by the Brotherhood of St Lawrence for offices and its vast factory spaces were a universe of recycled goods. I think I was present at the very last annual open day where the public could come in and buy stuff. We bought the "VL memorial park bench" there which is now in Notting Hill in the site that many of us replanted with local saplings and native bushes.
But as I write this only the façade of bricks and blue remains. Now I worry that it is not stable and may topple in the wind. The Barkly Street back has gone (see pictures below) and the inside is but a heap of rubble which will no doubt be cleared in a short time. The graffiti gangs have come and gone.