Subject guides: Architecture: Buildings, Drawings & Maps

Finding building information

Search tips

Looking for information on a particular building?

Look for the most specific information first, such as the name of the building.
Try alternate names - many buildings have different names (e.g. The Forum / The State Theatre.)
Use "quotation marks" around the building name to search it as a phrase.
Move on to more general information about the architect and/or firm.
If you still cannot find anything, try a subject search (e.g. 'Melbourne architecture 19th century')

Information can be found in books, journal articles, newspapers, government records, photographs, maps, drawings are more. You can locate these through Monash databases and the internet.

Where to search

Monash Databases

Monash Library Search
Search for journals and eBooks

Avery index to architectural periodicals (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Database offers a comprehensive listing of journal articles on architecture and design, including bibliographic descriptions on subjects such as the history and practice of architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, historic preservation, and interior design and decoration.
Art & architecture source (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
A good starting point for finding scholarly journal articles across a wide range of Art, Design and Architecture topics.
Building types online This link opens in a new window
Provides architectural drawings, photos and information on buildings. Large international collection of contemporary buildings, from housing and offices to museums, schools and other building types.

Other databases and websites

City of Melbourne - Planning and Building Services
Provides assistance and advice about construction and land use in the municipality.
Google Books
You can search the entire text within a book to see if a particular building is mentioned. You may then need to locate the book at the Monash Library to borrow.

Google scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar uses the familiar Google search engine to search peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.

Land Use Victoria
Find out about land registration, surveying, valuations, place naming, maps and spatial data.
National Archives of Australia
The National Archives’ Victoria office holds over 5,000 architectural drawings of public buildings across Victoria. Dating back as early as the 1850s, the drawings document not only famous Melbourne landmarks, but also humbler suburban and rural facilities, such as local post offices and drill halls. This makes these drawings an invaluable resource for anyone researching local history and heritage.
Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV)
Information on public and government buildings in Victoria. Search for: public building plans, water, sewerage and drainage plans, historic maps and plans, Victorian place names, old land titles, residential building plans, State Bank of Victoria plans, photographs and journal articles.
RMIT Design Archives
Both digital and material, the collections represent historical and contemporary practices which tell the story of Melbourne as a design city, and provide the resources and support for research into Melbourne’s designed environment, design professions and practices.
State Library of Victoria - Architecture
Search for historical photographs and architectural drawings.
Trove (National Library of Australia)
Search historic newspapers, magazines, images of buildings, reports and more.
University of Melbourne Architecture Collection
View digitised journals, magazines, theses, photographs and more.
University of Melbourne Archives
Search records of architectural firms and individual architects, architectural drawings, photographs and other records.
Victorian Heritage Database
Search the Victorian Heritage Register which lists the state's most significant heritage places, objects and historic shipwrecks protected under the Heritage Act 2017. It's also home to the Victorian Heritage Inventory which lists all known historical archaeological sites in Victoria.

Maps

Visit the Monash Spatial Data and Maps guide for detailed information on our maps collection and research databases.

Some key resources include:

Nearmap This link opens in a new window
An Australian aerial imagery technology and location data company that provides aerial imagery of up to 90% of Australia's urban population. Users can measure distance and area with precision, and view demographic layers and other information overlays. It also enables users to monitor change and map the progress of a construction project, observe site and environmental changes, measure the effect of weathering, and to track seasonal growth or shadowing.
VicMap topographic maps series This link opens in a new window
Vicmap topographic maps cover the state of Victoria in a variety of scales and sizes. These maps depict cultural, constructed and natural features such as rivers, roads, contours, towns, national parks, waterfalls, hospitals and more .. they are created and maintained using Vicmap, Victoria's authoritative foundation datasets.

Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) Maps Series
Go to the State Library of Victoria and run a search on 'MMBW' in title in the catalogue.
Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) Map Warper
A tool for digitally aligning ('rectifying') historical maps and plans from Public Record Office Victoria's collections to match today's precise maps.

Architecture