Walking Tour - Interactive Map

To view the interactive map of Manjimup that contains Art Deco and general historical information and photos, please click on 'Manjimup Map' along the top bar.

Chain Saw Centre/Tall Timbers

This building on the corner of Coronation Park on Giblett St needed quite a bit of attention. 

Thankfully, some bright minds decided to turn it into a wine bar & restaurant. I did a touch of consultation on the Art Deco aspects, but sadly it wasn't enough to convince them to preserve the heritage of the build by keeping the 'Warren Motors' raised lettering on the parapet. You can see this in the photo below, soon after they chipped the lettering off. 

That said, they've done a great job with the reno and have turned the corner into a bustling business.

ManjimUpcycling

 This double-fronted building began its life as Don McKay Auctioneer.

The earliest photo I can find of it is this one from 1927, where it can be seen to the right of the frame.

Between 1935 (above) and 1956 (below) we can see a few changes to the build, and the pub directly to the south. The below picture appears to show raised parapets, but it's actually the windows of the pub behind. Tricky!

Here's the building in the '00s. At this point the store on the left was Farmhouse Pizza, and the larger store to the right is/was the video store. 

The larger store was empty for some time before Mary Nixon took over, who turned it into ManjimUpcycling. Mary and I discussed various possible schemes before deciding on a vibrant orange plan, and Mary coordinated the job. She's done a brilliant job with the hand-painted lettering on the awning. 

Manjimup Drycleaners/Southern Roasting

This building isn't huuuugely pretty but it does have its moments. The simple stepped parapet, window detail and recessed entry give it character. This building sits in the stretch of Art Deco buildings recognised by state heritage, along the north eastern section of Giblett St. 

Add caption

2012

The building went through a few colour schemes to get to where it is now. I was happy to work on this as it didn't have any branding requirements so I could do something more out there. I really wanted an opportunity to use one of the less-commonly chosen colours from the palette as I didn't want to end up with a repetitive street, and the owners were happy to oblige. 

We went with the purple design, but it didn't last very long as it was as the store was rented out to a new business, Southern Roasting, and they've done a bit of work on it. It's great that the building is being used in a new way, and the new owners have done an amazing job of opening up the interior and activating the backyard area to provide access to the newly built skatepark.

2018

Mensland

The Mensland building is one of my favourite examples of Art Deco on Giblett St, with one of the more complex parapets on show. It is quite similar to the 1938 building, with a slightly different badge. It has the same recessed horizontal banding and rounded corners.

I've been trying to date this building, but it's proved difficult as the few historic photos I have of this section of the street don't show the whole picture.

Going by this picture from 1950 (not sure where that date came from, but it's all I have tied to this picture) I think it's visible in the distance. The foreground building is now Serendipity, Gommes Shoes, James the Jewellers, then the gap for what will be Commonwealth Bank. Following that should be Steve's Menswear, two more buildings, Palassis Bro's building then Mensland. So, it's possible Mensland is the one before that double story building, but the more I look at it I think it should be located where the double story building is or even further back. Hmmm.

This photo from around the 1970s doesn't really paint a clearer picture.

Our facebook sleuths date this photo from 1974, and finally, some answers! Mensland was next to the two story tea house all along! So, looking back.... still no answers really. Was it there in the first photo from 1950?

It's clearly seen in this photo of the parade in Giblett St, but sadly I don't have a date.

Anyway, enough history.

The Mensland building proved tricky, as the Mensland brand dictates corporate colours so I had to create a design that was in line with their branding. We decided on a neutral gray with accents of white and their trademark orange.

Here's my photoshopped visualisation...

And here's the final painted version. We ended up going with a lighter gray that contained less brown, I don't think it's as punchy as the visualisation, but it aligned better to their corporate colours. 

Manjimup Motors & True Value Hardware

Sadly I can't take the credit for this great paint job. The owners of the store came up with this one on their own, and it really highlights the great features of the storefront.

Before we get into what they've done, check out this stellar photo that came through from the Manjimup Old Photos facebook page.

The Neptune Garage behind, and the small triangular parapet next to it are the buildings in question. 

This current paint job is an excellent example of branding gone wrong. The logo painted on the parapet completely disguises the raised lettering detailing the year of the building.

Thankfully, the decision maker at True Value decided to showcase the building rather than the brand, resulting in a fabulous paint job. Great job guys. 

2018

2018

Manjimup Bakery

The Manjimup Bakery sits directly to the south of the wonderful 1938 building. It shows a simple stepped parapet, not overt in its Art Deco style, but definitely in need of a clean up.

We discussed several different colour options...

...before settling on a simple beige and purple scheme.

Here she is in all her glory!