Buxton Family Plots Heritage Fitzroy Apartments

A 1889 Acme Shirt Factory facade would become the centrepiece of a 60-home development under new heritage-focused plans for Fitzroy.

Plans by 21 Victoria St Pty Ltd for 25-37 Victoria Street site would deliver 57 apartments across two buildings, plus three townhouses on the site 2.5km north of the Melbourne CBD.

The application has been lodged under the Development Facilitation Program, which provides expedited planning pathways for eligible projects.

ASIC lists 21 Victoria St Pty Ltd’s directors as Benjamin Peter Buxton and Stephen Michael Buxton.

The Buxton family has been active in Melbourne property development for five generations, with J.R. Buxton founding a real estate agency in 1861.

According to the urban context report, its “Heritage as Hero” approach would retain and restore the original shirt factory frontage, building behind and above the heritage building.

Designed by DKO Architecture, Building A would comprise 16 apartments including two one-bedroom units, 10 two-bedroom units and four three-bedroom units.

Building B would feature 41 apartments with four one-bedroom units, 16 two-bedroom units, 19 three-bedroom units and two penthouses.

The apartment mix favours two and three-bedroom stock, which accounts for 81 per cent of all units.

The site is within a Mixed-Use Zone under the Yarra Planning Scheme and is subject to heritage, environmental audit and development contributions overlays.

The proposal responds to the Johnston Street Built Form Framework, a June 2019 planning document prepared by Hansen Partnership for Yarra City Council.

The framework guides midrise development between three and eight storeys along the activity centre corridor between Nicholson and Smith streets, identifying it as suitable for heritage-led renewal that balances conservation with increased density.

As part of its commitments under the framework, the proposed apartment building would match the height of the heritage factory’s front wall before setting back upper floors to reduce visual impact.

Ground floor spaces would use flexible layouts that could be changed between residential and commercial uses in future, while balconies and active street frontages would allow residents to overlook the street.

An existing carpark would convert to three, three-level townhouses with rooftop communal facilities, including barbecue areas, dining spaces and solar panels.

Privacy screens with angled perforations would provide city views while maintaining separation from neighbouring properties.

Sustainability features would include solar arrays, natural light optimisation through deep window reveals and structural systems based on repetitive grids for construction efficiency.

The 1889 Acme Shirt Factory operated as one of Fitzroy’s largest industrial employers and a significant Melbourne clothing maker before being transformed into the Universal Workshop complex in 1977, which housed venues, markets and community radio station 3RRR.

Other recent projects from the Buxton family include MAB Corp’s office-to-apartments conversion at Docklands, where Michael and Andrew Buxton are seeking to add 13 apartments to a 24-storey NewQuay tower.

The Buxton Group, in partnership with developer Roulston, recently sold out two luxury apartment projects in Malvern comprising 51 units valued at a combined $136 million.