Fitzroy history – from Rojo furniture to Thonet furniture
In the postwar years Fitzroy remained a home of manufacturing and industry. It’s curious to see how some premises have changed. In the case of this building on the corner of Napier and St David St, it has been altered structurally but in in terms of its use, nothing fundamental has changed.
Courtesy of Fitzroy local history photograph collection / ID: 15222 / photographer: unknown / copyright: expired – image is in the public domain
In 1948 this was the home of furniture manufacturers C.F. Rojo and Sons. In 2008, it is the home of Thonet, an importer of bent wood chairs made in the original style of Michel Thonet and contemporary European designer furniture that you would recognise in many Melbourne cafes and restaurants. The photo above shows the front facade, which has had the building name removed; the south side facade however retains the original name as shown below.
Posts you may find relevant and interesting
- Fitzroy history – the Safeway facade, 5 March 2009
- the MCA projections in Sydney, 21 June 2009
- crepes at The Wick on Brunswick St, 12 November 2008
- Gore St art walk, 16 September 2008
- random furniture, 14 January 2007