APA Building, Melbourne

The APA Building, also known as the API Building and the Australian Building, was an early skyscraper in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; at 12 storeys and 53m to the tip of its corner spire, it became the Australia's tallest commercial building at the time of its completion in 1890 (and remained so for decades). It was later reputed (erroneously) to have been the world's tallest at the time. The building was located at 49 Elizabeth Street, on the corner of Flinders Lane in Melbourne, and was notable for the way the Queen Anne style design lent it very vertical proportions, enhanced by the steep roof, spires and gables of the top floors. In 1912, its height to roof was surpassed by Sydney's 50.25 metre Culwulla Chambers, though still taller when counting its spire. It remained Melbourne's tallest until 1929. Despite a heritage listing, Heritage Victoria granted a permit to the owners for its demolition in 1980 to make way for a nondescript five storey concrete and glass office building with ground floor retail.

Building data from Wikidata (CC0); heights normalised. Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).