The Oslo: Five majestic houses buried under a century of neglect

PHOTO: The Oslo Hotel was built as a row of five, three-storey terraces. It is located at 38 Grey St, St Kilda, formerly Westbourne Terrace. Picture: St. Kilda Historical Society Source: Supplied

The Block is about to take on the biggest building ever seen on the show with its seedy past bound to shock viewers and contestants.

Anyone who has visited Grey Street in Melbourne’s popular suburb of St Kilda could easily tell you of its notorious past.

It is often remembered as a haven for drugs and thriving red light district.

At the centre of the strip was The Oslo, where $18 a night would get you a room in the backpackers hotel.

Around the corner was another infamous building — The Gatwick — housing some of the city’s poorest and most vulnerable people including drug addicts, prison parolees and those down on their luck, since the 1950s.

The building, which was also linked to incidents of arson, violence, and even murder, got a grand, and controversial makeover last year when Channel Nine’srenovation show The Block moved in.

It helped inject new life and value into the area, boosting real estate prices and this year it’s The Oslo’s turn as the popular reno show takes on yet another “seedy” building to transform.