Hyde Park Hotel

Statement of Significance

The Hyde Park Hotel is of considerable social significance as a continuously licensed and operating hotel since the last 19th century. It has been a landmark venue throughout that period and has marked the centre of its neighbourhood. It has close associations with the Perth Jazz Society and WA Jazz Club and has long been the venue for live jazz performance by musicians of international, national and local acclaim.

Physical Description

The original hotel building is a tall double storeyed building, capped with a high parapet wall. The proportions of the building have been drastically changed by the loss of two storey verandahs and changes to fenestration. The loss of the verandahs has given emphasis to the grand proportions and Beaux Arts composition of the basic building. This is further highlighted by the contrasting paint finish with light rendered vertical panels each side of doorways. The verticals are contrasted with intrusive horizontal banding at window head height at both floor levels. A suspended boxed canopy extends around the truncated corner and both street frontages. The roof is not visible due to a continuous parapet that has minimal decoration other than recessed panels. The ground level doors and windows are an adhoc combination of interventions. The hotel extension and bottle shop were additions of the early 1970s by Howlett & Bailey, now much adapted, were constructed in ribbed concrete blockwork and ribbed metal deck. The Hyde Park Hotel is Perth's best known and longest operating live jazz venue. Zero setbacks to the street. Numerous

History

The Hyde Park Hotel was originally built as the Commonwealth Hotel. It is one of a number of hotels constructed in the developing area of northern Perth in the late 1890s. It was built on part of Lot Y213. The place appears on the 1900 PWD sewerage plans but not on the 1897 series. Manager in 1905 was G. Clarke and in 1915, Stephen J. Lillis. Dick Turkington was the manager in 1938. In 1942 Jack Hewitt took over, possibly due to Dirk Turkington becoming involved in the war effort (World War 11). In 1944 it was listed as the Hyde Park Hotel for the first time and it was run by E.M Bannan from 1944 to 1945. Dirk Turkington returned to run it in 1946, and he was still running the place in 1949. An extension to the hotel, on the southern side, provided a performance venue for live music and which has become the home of live jazz performance in Perth for more than three decades. In 2007 the hotel was purchased by the Woolworths group and the perth Jazz Society was forced to move its headquarters from here to a another venue. A drive-in bottle shop was also added at the same time as the live performance area to the south-west corner of the building.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate degree

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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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.