Federal Coffee Palace Facts for Kids

Hotel facts and statistics
Federal Hotel and Coffee Palace
Quick facts for kids Federal Coffee Palace 1890s

Location	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Address
Opening date	1888
Architect	William Pitt
No. of rooms	370

The Federal Hotel and Coffee Palace was a huge and fancy hotel in the heart of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was built in 1888 when Melbourne was growing very fast. This building was special because it was a "temperance hotel." This meant it did not sell any alcohol.

The hotel was on Collins Street, a very important street in Melbourne. It was near Spencer Street Station (now called Southern Cross Station). Many people in Melbourne were sad when this beautiful building was torn down in 1973.

Building a Grand Hotel
A Hotel Without Alcohol
- The Temperance Movement
- Changing Times
Why the Hotel Was Demolished
Gallery
See also

Building a Grand Hotel

Planning the Federal Coffee Palace

In 1885, two local businessmen, James Mirams and James Munro, had a big idea. They wanted to build a very grand hotel that would not sell alcohol. They started a company called the Federal Coffee Palace Company.

They planned to raise money to buy land on Collins Street. Their goal was to build the "finest hotel in the city."

Designing the Hotel

At first, they had a design from an architecture firm. But they decided to hold a competition for a better design. Thirteen different architects entered the contest.

The first prize went to Ellerker & Kilburn. The second prize went to William Pitt. These two teams then worked together. They created the design for the massive building we know as the Federal Hotel.

Construction and Opening

Building the hotel started in early 1886. It took a lot of work and materials. Workers used five million bricks to build it! The total cost was about £110,000, which was a huge amount of money back then.

The hotel opened its doors in July 1888. This was just in time for Melbourne's Centennial Exhibition. This big exhibition opened at the Exhibition Buildings on August 1st.

Inside and Out

The outside of the Federal Hotel was very detailed. It had sculpted figures and many levels. A tall, domed tower stood at the corner, reaching 165 feet high. It had special roofs called mansard roofs.

Inside, the hotel was just as grand. It had a huge, four-story lobby with a magnificent staircase. There were also impressive dining rooms and entertainment areas. The hotel had 370 guest rooms. The most special room was a penthouse suite at the very top of the tower.

A Hotel Without Alcohol

The Temperance Movement

The Federal Hotel and Coffee Palace was a big part of the "temperance movement." This movement encouraged people to avoid alcohol. Many "Coffee Palaces" were built across Australia in the late 1800s. Victoria, especially, had many of them.

These hotels were built during a time when Melbourne was booming. They often competed with regular hotels that did sell alcohol.

Changing Times

However, the good times didn't last forever. The boom of the 1880s turned into a financial crash in the 1890s. Many coffee palaces found it hard to make enough money. They often had to give up their "no alcohol" rule to stay open.

In 1923, the Federal Coffee Palace finally got a license to sell alcohol. It was then renamed The Federal Hotel.

Why the Hotel Was Demolished

A Decline in Popularity

The Federal Hotel was located far from the main shopping and fun areas of Melbourne. Also, fewer people were arriving by train at Spencer Street Station. This meant fewer guests for the hotel.

Even after some renovations in the late 1960s, the hotel continued to struggle. It was not as popular as it once was.

The End of an Era

In 1971, the company that owned the hotel sold it to developers. In 1972, it was announced that the hotel would close and be torn down. A new office building would take its place.

The demolition was finished in 1973. A 23-story office building called Enterprise House was built there by 1975. Later, plans were made to replace that building with an even taller one.

What Was Saved

Luckily, some parts of the old Federal Hotel were saved. Three of the four statues of women that decorated the outside were carefully removed. They were moved to another building in Lonsdale Street.

Later, in 1996, these statues were given to the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery in Langwarrin. Also, a piece of the hotel's fancy cast-iron stair railing was saved. This piece, which had "FCP" (Federal Coffee Palace) in its design, was given to the Museum of Victoria in 1992.