Fox Glacier Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fox Glacier Hotel |
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Fox Glacier Hotel in 2020
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| General information | |
| Type | Hotel |
| Address | 11 Cook Flat Road |
| Town or city | Fox Glacier |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°27′52.56″S 170°1′0.03″E / 43.4646000°S 170.0166750°E |
| Opened | 20 December 1928 |
| Cost | £20,000 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Concrete foundations, heart rimu, corrugated steel roof |
| Designated: | 21 September 1989 |
| Reference #: | 5045 |
The Fox Glacier Hotel is a famous hotel located in Fox Glacier, a small town on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It was finished in 1928 by the Sullivan brothers. This building was recognized as a historic place in 1989 by Heritage New Zealand.
Why the Hotel Was Built
In the 1920s, many people wanted to visit the beautiful West Coast of New Zealand. The glacier areas, like Fox Glacier, became very popular.
At first, the Sullivan family used their farm home in Fox Glacier village (then called Weheka) to host tourists. But more and more visitors came, so the brothers, Mick and John Sullivan, decided to build a special hotel. They even set up their own sawmill to cut local rimu wood for the project.
Hotel Design and Features
The Fox Glacier Hotel was built in 1928 and cost about £20,000. It officially opened on December 20, 1928. Even though it has two floors, it was described as having a bungalow style because of its wide verandas on the upper floor.
The hotel was designed with 40 bedrooms, enough for up to 100 guests. It also had four sitting rooms and a large dining room for 70 people. The building was about 30 meters long, 15 meters wide, and 11.5 meters tall. It was built with strong rimu timber on concrete foundations, and it had a corrugated steel roof. A big covered entrance, called a portico, kept guests dry when they arrived or left.
The hotel even had its own electricity! The Sullivans built a small hydro-electric plant about 2 kilometers away to power the building. There were also other buildings, like a separate place for staff with eight bedrooms, a billiard room, and a garage.
Changes Over Time
The hotel has been updated several times. A large addition was made to the back of the building in the early 1950s. The front of the hotel also got new sections in the 1950s and 1960s. More recently, in 2007 and after, the hotel has been carefully renovated.
Current Status
In 1989, the Fox Glacier Hotel was given a special historic place classification by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now called Heritage New Zealand). This means it's an important building to protect. Today, the building is still used as a hotel, and it also has a restaurant and a bar.
