St George's House, Perth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Terrace Hotel |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Federation Queen Anne |
| Location | 237 St Georges Terrace Perth, Western Australia |
| Completed | 1892 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Talbot Hobbs |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 29 May 2001 |
| Reference no. | 2094 |
The Terrace Hotel in Perth, Western Australia, is a historic building. You can find it at 237 St Georges Terrace. It used to be called St George's House, and before that, it had names like Cardigan House, Bishop's Grove, and Ingle Hall.
Contents
The Hotel's History
When It Was a Home
St George's House was built in 1891 or 1892. It's a two-storey building made of brick with a corrugated iron roof. Its style is called Federation Queen Anne. The Anglican Church's Perth Diocesan Trust built it to earn money.
In 1856, Matthew Hale bought five blocks of land on St George's Terrace. He was the first Anglican Bishop of Perth and had his own money. He wanted to build a home for his family there. Bishop Hale liked the spot because it had big grounds and a natural spring. There was already a house and stables on the land. This area is now known as the Bishop's See. It's located between St Georges Terrace, Mount Street, and Spring Street in the western part of Perth's city centre.
Bishop Hale built several buildings on the Bishop's See. These included Bishop's House (built in 1859), Bishop's Cottage (built in 1860), and Hale House (built in 1872).
In 1875, Bishop Hale gave all his Perth properties to the Perth Diocesan Trust. He then left Western Australia to become the Bishop of Brisbane. After he left, the Perth Diocesan Council built more homes on the Bishop's See. These included St George's House (1892), St George's Mansion (around 1930), and Bishop's Court (1935). All these homes were rented out to people to help the church earn money.
St George's House was built as three two-storey houses joined together. It was designed by John Talbot Hobbs, who was the official architect for the Perth Diocesan Council. He arrived in Western Australia in 1887. Records show he designed five houses on St George's Terrace in 1891.
An old photo from 1895 shows St George's House and another similar building. Both had pointy gables facing the street and decorative chimneys. They also had verandahs with fancy timber work. St George's House had two separate verandahs on its main fronts. Another photo from 1894 shows more details, like turned railings on the verandahs. The building looked very balanced.
St George's House, and other buildings on the Bishop's See, had many different names over time. For example, both St George's House and a nearby building were first called Bishop's Grove. This name was later given to a set of flats at 225 St George's Terrace. Old photos from 1894 and 1895 show St George's House being called Bishop's Grove.
Wise's Post Office Directory listed 235-239 St George's Terrace as "Bishop's Grove" in 1897. This directory helps us learn about the people who lived in St George's House. It also suggests that the address might have included 233 St George's Terrace at one point.
From 1897, the building had several tenants. By 1906, there were three tenants at 235, 237, and 239 St George's Terrace. From about 1915 until the 1960s, 235-239 St George's Terrace was used as boarding houses or apartments.
In 1912, a two-storey verandah was added to all four sides of St George's House, except for the central part facing St Georges Terrace. These verandahs were later closed in to create more rooms.
Big changes were made in 1939 to the eastern part of the building, which was then called "Cardigan." The architects were Hobbs and Winning. They added 26 more bedrooms and bathrooms. The front verandah and balcony were also changed to a more modern style using brick and concrete. A map from 1943 shows how much the eastern side of the building had changed.
Also in 1939, the Perth Diocesan Council updated several other city properties. Hobbs and Winning were the architects for these projects too.
The name "Bishop's Grove" was then used for flats built in 1935 at 225 St George's Terrace. This building was pulled down in 1986.
Becoming Offices and New Plans
In the 1960s, St George's House changed from boarding houses to offices. This was because offices could earn more rent. A lunch bar was also added on the ground floor. Another residential building nearby was likely pulled down in the 1960s to make way for BP House, which was built in 1968.
By the early 1980s, the Perth Diocesan Trust was worried about losing money from the Bishop's See land. A plan was approved to redevelop the site. This plan included new office towers and restoring Bishop's House and its gardens. In 1986, St George's Investments (later Australian City Properties or ACP) leased the large property for 99 years. The buildings on this land included St George's House, Bishop's House, and BP House.
Even though St George's House was in poor condition and there were plans to knock it down, Alistair McAlpine decided to keep and fix it up. He was a property developer and chairman of St George's Investments. He renamed it St George's House, and it became ACP's main office.
In 1986, ACP hired architects to restore St George's House. This involved fixing some parts and adding new materials. Many original features like fences and verandah railings had disappeared. The brickwork had been painted, and the roof had been changed. Inside, large rooms had been divided, and original timber and plaster were damaged or missing. The front also had asbestos and louvre windows.
In 1987, the newer additions that hid its original look were removed. This reduced the number of rooms from 60 to 30. Many of the original bricks had to be replaced because they were in bad shape. Some of the verandahs were put back, and the inside of the building was completely redone.
In 1996, a plan was made to divide the Bishop's See land. This plan included keeping St George's House and Bishop's House. Approval was given, and St George's Square was sold in 1998.
From 2000 to 2002, Hawaiian Property Investments used the building as offices. After that, it stayed empty from 2002 until 2011.
The Terrace Hotel
St George's House was renovated and turned into a fancy hotel called The Terrace Hotel. It had 15 rooms, a big bar, and a restaurant. The hotel opened on November 1, 2012. The Terrace Hotel was nominated for an award as an "Outstanding Tourism Product" at the WA Heritage Awards. These awards celebrate efforts to protect and promote heritage in Western Australia. The hotel announced it would close on July 7, 2018.
Heritage Value
St George's House is considered a very important historical building. The National Trust of Western Australia classified it on May 11, 1998. It was also listed on the City of Perth's Municipal Inventory in 2001. On March 24, 2000, it was officially added to the State Register of Heritage Places by the Heritage Council of Western Australia.
- A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture Styles - Apperly, Richard Irving, Robert and Reynolds, Peter
Images for kids
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The front of the Terrace Hotel.
