Newcastle Club Hotel (fmr)

Statement of Significance

The former Newcastle Club Hotel is a fine and substantial building of its time in the Federation Free Classical style. Through its prominent corner location the place has always been a landmark, that originally showcased the Stanley Brewing Company and, more latterly, was a notable nightclub.

Physical Description

The place is a two storey building that is generally symmetrical about the corner, with an ornate corner truncation, arched pediment parapet, with side pediments in decorative Italianate above the continuous parapet. The upper floor windows are geometrically related to the ground floor openings, however the patterns of upper and level openings is not strictly symmetrical about the corner. A two storey verandah would have disguised the variation from a symmetrical arrangement. The ground floor windows and entrances are arched and have stucco surrounds. The walls have been rendered and painted. It is unusual for a hotel to have two street facades of equal size, illustrating that this was a major hotel development of its time. Nil setbacks on both streets. Verandah removal, internal modifications

History

The Newcastle Club Hotel was built for the Stanley Co-operative Brewing Co. Ltd on Town Lot N42, on the corner of Lake Street. It is shown on the 1897 PWD sewerage plans. The hotel was established at a time when the general area, south and north of Newcastle Street, was undergoing rapid residential and commercial development in the mid 1890s. In 1898, the publican of the hotel was John Quigley. In 1903 when it was listed in the Wise's Post Office Directories for the first time, the licensee was Edward J. Williamson. Two years later (1905) it was Ernest Brumby and in 1910 it was Peter G. McNamara. In 1907 the City of Perth rate books gave its unimporved value as ₤600 and the annual rates were ₤35.6.8d. The Stanley Brewery became a separate corporate entity and changed their name to The Westralian Hotels Limited in 1926. They also purchased the Norwood Hotel in the early 1900s and later also owned and operated the Beaufort, George and Claredon hotels. In 1915, the licensee of the subject place was W. E. Collins. In 1930 the licensee was Mrs Anni Lillis and in 1949, the last year of the Directories, it was George B. Hudson. The building was originally constructed with a two-storey verandah, which, as with other early hotels, has been removed. This may have taken place in 1935 when alterations and additions were designed for owners H.F Schruth by Hobbs, Forbes and Partners. A new brick shed was erected in 1944 by which time the owner was the Swan Brewery Company Limited. New male toilets were designed by Hobbs, Winning and Leighton in 1952. In 1989 internal modifications were overseen by Co-Struct, by which time the subject place was known as The Underground. These changes included two news bars and extensions to the third and a new garden area. In more recent years, the hotel has traded as the Arcadia and was known by this name from at least 1995 to 1999. The Western Australian Boot Manufacturing Company purchased part of Lot N42 (Lots 1 to 4), Nos. 274-280 on Newcastle Street, beside the Newcastle Club Hotel in 1910. At that time it was the only one vacant block left along this portion of Newcastle Street. A single storey brick factory with 4,000 sqaure feet (370 sq.m) of floor space was built on this block with a cellar at the rear. The factory produced heavy and medium weight footwear for men, women and children. The boot factory was extended to the rear of the lot by the 1920's and the adjoining vacant land at No. 117 Lake Street (Lots 5-9) was acquired. A two-storey building was constructed on the new site and in the 1930's or 1940's, adjoining land on Lake Street was acquired and a two-storey building was constructed on the new site. The original single-storey boot factory at No. 274 Newcastle Street and the new two-storey building at 127 Lake Street formed an L-shape around on the Newcastle Club Hotel on the corner. The Newcastle Club Hotel has been attractively refurbished for use as a backpackers hostel, known as Underground Backpackers, which has operated as a 'short term hostel' since early 2000. Several styles of accommodation are provided with communual laundry and kitchen facilities, a pool room and swimming pool, which is situated at the rear on the western boundary.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.