Imperial Arcade, Sydney
| Imperial Arcade, Sydney | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Arcade |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Location | 168 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°52′12″S 151°12′32″E / 33.8699335°S 151.2089142°E |
| Construction started | 1889 |
| Completed | 1891 |
| Opened | 16 July 1891 |
| Height | 114 feet (34.7 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 7 levels |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Thomas Rowe |
The Imperial Arcade was a commercial building in Sydney, Australia, designed by prominent Sydney architect Thomas Rowe opened in 1891 on the site now occupied by Westfield Sydney.
Development of the Imperial Arcade was a business venture by the newly formed Imperial Arcade Company Ltd to "construct an arcade in the centre of Sydney, from Pitt Street to Castlereagh Street, on a scale hitherto not attempted in any part of Australia". Capital was fixed at £80,000, with 40,000 shares of £2 each, 17,000 of which were offered to the public through a prospectus issued in March 1889. A return of 14-percent was forecast.
The company's board consisted of six directors: WM Beaumont Esq, chairman George C. Chalmers (of Roberts, Chalmers and Co), Joseph Thomas Burton-Gibbs (of Gibbs, Shallard and Co), JR Linsley, Esq., M.L.A, George Merriman, Esq. (City Solicitor), and Hon. Bruce Smith MLA. Other people involved include George Withers and Callaghan.
The designated site consisted of one freehold property fronting Castlereagh Street and an adjoining leasehold (21-year) property fronting Pitt Street, both acquired for a total of £25,000.
A design competition was held between several architecture firms, with prominent Sydney architect Thomas Rowe securing the £350 contract.
The Imperial Arcade was opened on 16 July 1891 by the then Mayor of Sydney, William Patrick Manning.
The first hotel in the building was the Imperial Arcade Hotel. While an initial application for a licence had been rejected, a second application by manager Philip Husk was granted on 12 April 1892, despite much opposition. The recent closure of nearby Gompagnoni banquet rooms was cited as a reason for granting the new application. The single license covered both the Pitt St and Castlereagh St lots. The suspicious death of manager Philip Husk two years later, first thought to be business-related, was later ruled to be suicide.
In April 1895, rates at the Imperial Arcade Hotel were 15 shillings per week for a single room, or 30 shillings per week for a double. The dining rooms provided a seven course lunch for 2 shillings, the "best served luncheon in the city".
In 1902, a case was brought against Smith for the sale of alcohol on unlicensed premises – the Castelreagh Street bar of the Imperial Arcade Hotel (at 83 Castlereagh Street). Details of the licensed area, however, approved in the original 1892 application, had been "lost" by the court and therefore the case was dismissed on 9 May 1902.
...
Wikipedia