Melbourne Hotel
| Melbourne Hotel | |
|---|---|
Melbourne Hotel – Murray/Milligan Street frontages (2014)
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| Alternative names | Old Melbourne Hotel |
| General information | |
| Type | Hotel |
| Architectural style | Federation Free Classical |
| Location | Corner Hay Street and Milligan Street |
| Address | 942 Hay Street |
| Town or city | Perth, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°57′06″S 115°51′05″E / 31.9516°S 115.8515°ECoordinates: 31°57′06″S 115°51′05″E / 31.9516°S 115.8515°E |
| Opened | April 1897 |
| Renovated | 1971, 1994-95, 1997 |
| Client | John De Baun |
| Owner | Oaksfield Pty Ltd |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Peter John Wilson |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Oldham Boas Ednie-Brown (1994-95) |
| Website | |
| The Melbourne Hotel website | |
The Melbourne Hotel is a heritage listed landmark hotel in Perth, Western Australia. The hotel is located on the corner of Hay Street and Milligan Street.
In the 1890s, in the wake of the Western Australian gold rush, American-born mining investor and hotelier John De Baun (1852-1912) moved to Perth with the intent of investing in real estate. In 1896, he purchased the Eagle Tavern on the corner of Hay Street and Milligan Street from the Swan Brewery Company, and demolished it. De Braun engaged Fremantle-based architect Peter John Wilson (1869-1918) to design a new hotel to replace it. The building is designed in the Federation Free Classical style.
The hotel officially opened in April 1897, serving both boarders and visitors to the city during the gold rush. On 20 September 1898 Grace Lannin, the licensee of the hotel, was the first person charged for selling liquor after 11pm without a permit; she was fined 20 shillings.
Although it was still being used as a hotel until the 1970s, it also served as a pub for the most part of the twentieth century. In 1970 John Murdoch and Robert Stowe acquired the property, they then transferred the title to a syndicate of West Australians (including Len Buckeridge), trading as Melbourne Hotel Pty Ltd. Buckeridge's company, L. W. Buckeridge and Associates, drew up the plans for the first major work undertaken on the hotel. These works involved extensive additions to the west side of the hotel and internal renovations. In the 1970s, the ground and first floors were used as a nightclub and cabaret lounge. Later, in the 1980s and 1990s, they were known as Tiffany's Nightclub, The Firm Nightclub, The Pink Galah Cabaret, Middleways Piano Bar, and Meccanos.
In 1993 the building was purchased by Decanning Ltd, who renovated it for the use as a private business club, The Old Melbourne Club. The company engaged the architectural firm of Oldham Boas Ednie-Brown to undertake the renovations, which included a western extension of the Hay Street frontage to match the existing structure. The renovations occurred from 1994 to 1995, and included the restoration of the cantilevered balcony, together with the grand timber staircase and decorative ceilings to their original splendour.
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Wikipedia