A few months ago I read an article in one of the Perth papers about the many heritage listed buildings in the CBD. The story included an interview with an expert in the field who talked about the "look up" factor in the city.

By that he meant that you probably won't be aware of the city's architectural legacy if you look straight ahead. All you'll see then is shopfronts that have been refurbished over and over again to keep them looking contemporary.

You have to consciously lift your gaze to see the elegant facades of the older structures. Then you'll be surprised at just how many of them there are in what has always seemed like a very young city.

Ever since reading that article I've made a point of looking up when walking through the city centre. He was dead right. I've seen numerous beautiful old buildings that I hardly ever noticed the entire time I was growing up here. It seems that as you get older yourself you start to have an appreciation for other older things -- even ones made of stone!

One of the lovely old buildings that I ignored up until recently is the McNess Royal Arcade on the corner of the Hay Street Mall and Barrack Street.