Built more than 100 years ago, the Paterson Building was a furniture store at a time when horse-drawn carriages still clattered down Fitzroy’s Smith Street. In a suburb that has constantly been shifting between grand and grungy, the building originally owned by W.H Paterson first became home to a beautiful cluster of artists when bohemians overran the joint in the late ’60s. Since then, it has seen everyone from Split Enz to Skyhooks to – if you believe the rumours – a young Brett Whiteley pass through its doors. As part of Melbourne’s alternative culture, the third storey helped usher in the ’90s rave scene, its scarcely legal parties stretching the old timber floors to their limits.
One of the last buildings standing in a suburb bounding towards gentrification, the Paterson has since been slated for redevelopment; by the time you read this, work will have begun to turn it into apartments. Before they all moved out, we spoke to some residents about their time under its historic roof.
ASH KERR // VISUAL ARTIST ON LEVEL TWO FOR FOUR YEARS
This level was the piano floor back when it was a department store, but had
