While several theories have been proposed regarding the reason for this name, no official documentation exists to substantiate any of them, leaving the matter open to speculation.

Cairo Flats is situated opposite the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[3] As a result, Cairo also sits within the World Heritage Environs Area (WHEA) overlay that surrounds this precinct.

[6][8] Amongst a plethora of examples of blocks of flats in the modernist style, Cairo stands alone as a building designed in the 1930s with the purpose of providing high quality housing for bachelors in Melbourne.

[6] Architectural historian Professor Philip Goad included Cairo Flats in his Australian Modernism: Top 10 series, highlighting the building’s significance in promoting a new way of living.