The existing facade of Melbourne House has been remodelled to incorporate more traditional and classical details, according to architect at Cooper & Gardner Mr. Stuart Pearson, who did the design work on the recently renovated building. Melbourne House took on the appearance of a fortress in the early 1970s due to its then undesirable location, said Mr. Pearson. "It was built in a location that was considered in between acceptable and non-acceptable at the time,'' he said. Spokesperson for Melbourne House Mr. Dennis Chin added that the building was purposely built like a fortress to be safe from eventualities. "Back then, the building housed many government offices including the immigration department and the solicitor general's office as well as other professional tenants,'' he said. "And during the riots in the 1970s, Molotov cocktails were hurled at the building. Metal screens were subsequently attached to the exterior windows to ward off damage,'' he said, noting that the building looked extremely unattractive. Today, however, the location is more favoured. And the owners of Melbourne House were willing to spend money to attract both the business community and retailers to the building. Said Mr. Pearson: "The owners wanted to make Melbourne House look more attractive and more Bermudian in style.'' Mr. Pearson therefore used 20th century techniques to add flavour to the outside of the building. All the windows were replaced with muntins, which are traditional-sized panes, to give the building a Bermuda feeling. And two large bay windows were installed on the second and third floors. As well, architectural developments including cornices, columns, arches and freezes were built on to the building to effect a classical look. The shapes were made out of a polystyrene foam base, said Mr. Pearson, adding that SKB Coatings Ltd., developed the flourishes and fastened them to the walls. "Also a gable was added to the front of the building to give focus to the design. And shutters were added for a Bermudian look,'' he said. Work started on the exterior in January 1995 and was completed by September this year, noted Mr. Pearson. The interior work started later and has recently been finished except for a few minor details, he added.

"The building was substandard prior to renovations. But it has now been brought up into the 20th century,'' said Mr. Pearson. PHOTO BEFORE THE RENAISSANCE -- Built in the 1960s, Melbourne House, a three-storey office building, was very plain looking before it was renovated recently to effect a traditional Bermudian-style house.

AFTER RESTORATIONS -- Melbourne House is now painted pale blue with white architectural details and dark blue shutters. The recent facelift has turned what was once a gloomy 1960s building into a colourful office site.