Why is Smith Street important? A history of one of Melbourne’s most diverse

streetsDr Craig BellamyVictoria University, Melbourne www.craigbellamy.net Nerd Nite Melbourne, Tuesday 14 October, 2014

The 19th CenturyStreet founded in 1837 on an irregular track from the top end of Bourke Street that went to Heidelberg

Between 1837 and 1865 the street made the transition from a thoroughfare to a manufacturing and shopping centre

Boom in the 1880s saw the building of the Post Office and Foy and Gibson’s Collingwood Store

Cable tram arrived in Smith Street in 1887 and expanded the retail population

1900 to 1970

Major expansion of Foy and Gibson

Tunnel built under Smith Street for Lady Shoppers

Foy’s Ladies Store Built in 1911

George Coles opened first store in 1914

World War II shortages forced the closure of many small retailers as the larger retailers received the major share of rationed goods

Recent History: 1970s to the present

Foy and Gibson’s Collingwood Store Demolished in the 1960s

Gentrification of the Inner Cities and the changing demographic

What future for Smith Street?Smith Street significance is in the history retailing in Victoria and Australia

Smith Street gentrification is an ongoing process along with the tensions and conflicts that go along with this