Man coaxed down from Melbourne crane

A man who climbed a crane high above a Melbourne street has been removed by police.

The man scaled the crane, on top of a 55-storey building in Elizabeth Street in the early hours of Wednesday morning, police spokeswoman Sergeant Creina O'Grady said.

"We brought him down about 6am (AEST). We negotiated with him and he came down," she said.

"At this stage we are not sure why he was there."

The man is in custody and has been taken away for assessment.

He was safe and well despite a chilly night above the city, where temperatures dipped as low as 10 degrees.