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Bayswater Art Deco Office
The Art Deco-style building at 104-106 Beechboro Road South was constructed in 1951, as part of Bayswater’s post-war light-industrial expansion. Built for Kelly & Sons, the factory was located in an area previously used for market gardens before being rezoned for industrial use. Newly arrived European migrants, particularly Italian workers, were employed in these industries during the early 1950s, including the Kelly & Sons factory.
While often described as employing “dozens,” contemporary reports suggest the factory later expanded significantly, with a much larger workforce involved in the manufacture of prefabricated housing components such as wall panels, joinery and other building materials used across Perth’s expanding suburbs.
By the mid-1950s, Kelly & Sons had ceased operations at the site and by the late 1950s the building was occupied by James N. Kirby, also recorded as James N. Kirby Sales Pty Ltd. Industrial use of the site continued and in the 1970s, ownership passed to Lombardi Transport and Construction. Lombardi used the property as offices and depot facilities for several decades before relocating to new premises in 2015, leaving the distinctive Art Deco office building vacant.
In 2015, the building was approved for demolition, however the approval expired before any works took place. During this time, the City of Bayswater’s planning policies changed and the building was formally recognised for its local heritage value, resulting in its inclusion on the City’s heritage list and local heritage survey. This significantly altered the planning context. Lombardi later sought to reapply for development approval, again proposing demolition of the building to make way for four new factory units. The proposal proved contentious, with heritage assessments identifying the structure as a rare and relatively intact example of post-war industrial architecture with strong social value linked to migration and housing history.
Despite being described by its owner as an unremarkable building that was costly to maintain, the structure avoided demolition. After several years of vacancy and uncertainty, the Art Deco office was refurbished in 2024.
Como Melville Parade Offices
After being approved for a mixed-use development with a cafe or restaurant and residential homes in March 2020, only one apartment had sold during the year to follow. Interestingly, it’s also being reported that in September 2018 and January 2020, the development application was approved.
As per usual, the economical state of current times is blamed, what with its associated increased cost of building resources and the like.
The Malaysian-owned developer Millieu Group, owned by Siew Lung Wong who is based in Western Australia, was credited with receiving developmental approval for the $4.2 million project. Perhaps they’re a part of Ling Group.
Site owner Ling Pty Ltd went back to the drawing board utilising the services of Pennock Architects to come up with a new design, which saw significant improvements that included decreasing the size of apartments, co-working space, removing the wine store, cafe, sun lounge and sun terrace, as well as an overall slender and elegant look. Apparently! It would be interesting to see what the original design looked like.
Either way, it was approved in July 2022 and is being advertised as "Riverfront Living" Como Beach Residences (don't worry about the Kwinana Freeway that separates you from the river!)
Interestingly, Como Beach Residences is a name already being used by Salt Property's new apartment development, located on Preston Street.
Consisting of 12 apartments over four storeys, sales marketing uses keywords that are starting to feel typically customary: combined functionality, craftsmanship, sustainability, boutique homes, modern lifestyle... nothing feels original anymore.
Now comes the next waiting period whilst the building becomes increasingly trashed with graffiti, urine, property left behind and the effects of feral drug-using squatters (so far, no less than nine needles were visible and that was some time ago!).
A video recently posted on Facebook by a member of "The Como and surrounds community (WA Perth)" shows a massive pile of debris and rubbish between the front of the building and the mailbox, although it's difficult to know whether or not sanctioned 'stripping' of the building's interior is the result of official work. No doubt, locals will look forward to the demolition of this site, particularly due to the abusive shouting that is said to be a regular occurrence.
The 91m² building was last leased on 15 June 2015 and the building's worth has been estimated to be an average of $1.68m. Some of the previous tenants include Urban Resources, DeGrey, Earthex Logistics, Rise Information Technology and InnoGreen.
