Raffles Hotel

Physical Description

The Raff les Hotel1 is an example of the more restrained Art Deco or streamlined Inter-war Functionalist style2 used for commercial buildings and homes built in Perth during the later part of the 1930s. This was a style which was seen as progressive and modern and became increasingly popular in the years following the world-wide Depression. The building is prominently located near the Canning Bridge in Applecross, and takes good advantage of this site with its facades addressing the different vistas from the Canning Highway, Kintail Street, the Canning Bridge and the Canning River. (Figure 1) The exterior facades of the two storey building are cement rendered and painted white. It is designed on predominantly horizontal lines with sunk rustication. There is a central curved loggia to both floors flanked by straight sides on the east and west elevations. The window which encloses the central portico is a later add ition.3 The deeply recessed verandahs have also been filled with metal framed windows, with some being shaded by the addition of bull-nosed deck awnings to prevent solar gain. Apparently there had been extensive fire damage to the first floor which destroyed the original tiled roof. This was replaced by a metal deck roof which is concealed behind a parapet wall which rises in a ziggurat form above the entrances. Vertical fins to these parapet sections are typical Art Deco features which bear the word "Hotel". The name "Raffles" is incorporated into the facades using a 1930s typeface. Generally much of the exterior fabric of the 1937 structure remains intact. Additional components which are not part of this assessment include the two storey 1959 /60 additions behind the main building, the single storey 'Raffs' nightclub on the river side of the building (where the original beer garden was located) and the drive-in bottle shop. The roof line is also obscured by large advertising signage. According to an independent report there are visible remnants of the 1896 Canning Bridge Hotel: Inspection of the roof line revealed a corrugated galvanised iron roof, with ventilator grilles, partial chimney structure and small areas of exposed brick work at the wall head level. Original window openings are visible from the small external seating area, the window frames and sashes have been replaced with aluminium frame casements. The original window openings now illuminate the area occupied by the kitchen.4 The above mentioned report also provides information about the interior which has been extensively remodelled over time. Some of these changes are apparent particular reveals Bennett's awareness of particular modern contemporary design forms and the need for a building to address its site, especially one as prominent as the Raffles Hotel site which also provides an entry statement to Applecross and Melville. Rarity There are only a few examples of the Interwar Functionalist style of hotel, particularly of the free standing type, remaining in Perth. The Majestic and Scarborough Beach Hotels have been demolished, while the futures of the Coronado (1940, former Highway Hotel) in Claremont and the Swanbourne Hotel (1940) are in doubt. Other hotels from the period such as the Captain Stirling (1935) in Nedlands and the Criterion (1937) in central Perth demonstrate other inter-war styles such as the Mediterranean or Inter-War Free Classical. Representativeness The Raffles is a representative example of the Inter-war Functionalist style of architecture used during the latter part of the 1930s in Western Australia.

History

Assessment 1998 Construction Date: 1937 remodelling of 1896 Canning Bridge Hotel Alteration/Additions Date: Double storey extensions to rear 1959/60. Enclosure of verandah loggias with windows. Addition of a single storey wing c.1985. Signage on roof. The history of the general site that makes up the Canning Bridge area where the Raffles Hotel now stands can be traced to the early to mid 19th century when travellers and itinerant workers used this point to cross the Canning River by punt. Apparently the operator of this 'ferry' service was a somewhat difficult and unreliable person. "Representations to the Governor resulted in a rebuke to the operator for his slothfulness ..."8 The need for a bridge to take traffic from the eastern districts to the Port of Fremantle was realised in September 1849 "when a contract was let to Solomon Cook to build a timber bridge across the river."9 This was completed in January the following year and a toll system introduced. Apparently in that same year, on the 4th May 1850, a liquor licence was granted to a Samuel Duffield the owner of the "Bridge Inn".10 However the exact location of this inn has not been established and it cannot be assumed to be near the Canning Bridge. Apparently another bridge was constructed in 1867, and then by 1890-1the bridge was in such a bad state of repair that a third new bridge was constructed. In 1896 the Canning Bridge Hotel was constructed. At this time land south of the Swan River was being subdivided for residential development, although the district was to remain relatively undeveloped for many years to come. Another Canning bridge was to be built in 1908. The terms "inn" and "hotel" appear interchangeable in some accounts. For example, in his 1975 history of the City of Melville, Malcolm Uren follows his discussion about a new Canning Bridge (c.1896 according to his account) l l with reference to an "inn". An inn, referred to in some records as "a rowdy house", was built near the bridge and a garden was established on adjacent flats. A few pit sawyers had camps nearby and people came from Perth to hunt in the bush where there was plenty of game.12 Further on, Uren refers to a hotel which was, ... right in front of the jetty. It was a single storey structure with a high gabled roof that gave it the appearance of being a church. Between 1900 and 1906 it had been a gay place because people came from Perth to spend the Clay. A pavilion on the south side had a dance floor on the upper storey and that was usually crowded.13 Another history of Melville states: Since the days of the short-lived Leyson Arms Tavern at Bull's Creek in the 1830s, there were several unsuccessful a ttempts to establish a public house near the river on Canning Road. By 1900, however, the Canning Bridge Hotel, on the site of the present-day Raffles, had become a permanent landmark. It was single storey structure, with a high ablea roof. Beside it stood a pavilion, with a dance hall on the upper floor and refreshment rooms below . The older "Bridge Inn" may have been one of these "unsuccessful attempts to establish a public house". Apparently the Canning Bridge Hotel "changed hands with surprising frequency".15 During one particular year in 1904 when a Mr J.A. Bolton took possession, the Licensing Board refused to approve the transfer of the hotel license because although he "succeeded in attracting ferry loads of day visitors from Perth to his bars and Palais de Danse, he was unable or unwilling to control their raucous and disorderly behaviour.''16 This probably accounts for the above descriptions of the "inn" both as a "rowdy house" and "a gay place". The hotel not only became a popular place for day trippers from Perth, but it was also used by the W.A. Hunt Club as "a frequent rendezvous for the 'throw­ off '".17 (Figures 3 and 4) One "old time memory" recorded in Uren's history, mentions how the hotel "was at its busiest on Hunt Club days. The boys in the district welcomed those days because they were able to earn a little pocket money holding the horses of the huntsmen while they took refreshments. The hotel stables were located where the hall now stands."18 The Hotel was also used by the East Fremantle District Road Board for it's first council meeting on March 22nd, 1901.19 The Board (gazetted in June that year as the Melville Road Board) "had no staff, no office and they had to meet where they could secure a meeting place."20 Accounts of the area around the Canning Bridge Hotel during the early decades of this century describe it as an isolated place. "The only roads - they were little better than cleared tracks topped with shell - were Kintail, Ardross and Duncraig Roads. They ended suddenly in the bush. Canning Road was of limestone and was very rough to travel."21 The district was also described as "a children's paradise. There was swimming, boating, fishing, crabbing, prawning and rambles in the bush. Life was free and easy."22 This rural holiday ambience of the place was one of its main attractions for day trippers. There were improvements to the area in the late 1920s with Canning Road being "rehabilitated" and the hotel's "early popularity" "fully restored" when Mr and Mrs Arthur Bursey took over.23 At the beginning of the 1927-28 summer, Bursey advertised his premises as "a thoroughly up-to-date residential hotel and popular holiday resort," readily accessible by bus or ferry. The tariff was £2-2-0 per week or 8/- per day, and the cuisine excellent.24 The Hotel was also used for concerts and dances to raise funds for worthy causes, social and sporting events.25 The area also catered to other tastes with tea and refreshment rooms, such as the Canning Bridge Tea Rooms. There were rooms at Coffee Point (north of the Hotel) "for a brief period", and between The Esplanade and Kishorn Road.26 The histories of the Canning Bridge and the hotel developments appear to go hand in hand . In 1937 the Hotel underwent extensive remodelling and modernising to become the "Hotel Raffles", the name redolent of the famous Raff les in Singapore. At the same time a new Canning Bridge was being constructed, alongside the older one, which was completed in 1938. (See Figure 5) The successf ul tender for the hotel's modern face-lif t was submitted by Perth architect W .G. Bennett. Bennett, had been a partner of the firm Bales, Cohen & Bennett which was responsible for the nearby Applecross District Hall (now called the 'Tivoli') which was built in 1934. He left the firm in 1935.27 Although there is only three years difference between these two buildings, together they represent the stylistic shif ts that occurred in Western Austra lian buildings between the mid to late 1930s. The Hall is a fine example of the early 1930s Art Deco style with its emphasis on verticality, while the Raffles reveals the new design aesthetic of streamlined functional forms with an emphasis on horizontal lines. It could be argued that the two buildings represent a small but significant precinct of inter-war stylistic forms. Apart from the remodelling of the hotel, additions were also planned with the overall design being on 'horizontal lines'.28 The new Hotel Raffles was officially opened on December 10th, 1937. A report in The West Australian the following day described the event and the Hotel's special features: In the presence of 200 guests the Chief Secretary (Mr. W.H. Kitson) declared open the Hotel Raffles at Canning Bridge last night. The hotel which was reconstructed recently at a cost of nearly £10,000 is one of the most artistic and attractive hotels in the metropolitan area. A feature is a biergarten, which is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia. Mr Kitson said the premises would add greatly to the popularity of the Swan River and Canning Bridge. The surroundings generally were so delightful that it was difficult when in the hotel or biergarten to imagine that one was so near to Perth and the Swan and Canning Rivers. He congratulated the proprietors (Messrs. J.P. Monaghan and M.A. McDonnell) and the owner (Mr. J.A. Coleman) on the high standard of the establishment. During the evening supper, dancing and other entertainments were provided.29 The biergarten and the hotel's fittings were also described in the weekly trade journal Building and Construction. In this instance the biergarten was referred to as "Perth's first bier garten" and that "In design and in faithfulness of execution and fitments, it is claimed to be an exact reproduction of the traditional German Bier Garten." There were fif ty shade trees "including umbrella, plane, poplars, Kurragong and such like", and there was a "centre ornamental dove cote and aviary, sun dial, and rustic tables" and "a rustic arched gateway leads to the eastern side of the Hotel." (see Figure 5 dated c.1938 which shows the Hotel Raffles and its biergarten). What would appear to be a curious mixing of styles and ambiences such as the rustic nature of the German biergarten and the stream-lined modernity of the hotel design is continued in the interior where "a novel feature of the main lounge is an ingle fireplace", whereas the "whole design is intended to provide a tropical hotel in a metropolitan setting." The outstanding features of the "tropical lounge" included "specially designed" cane furnishings, large palms and pot plants. The basic colours of the lounge were green, Chinese red, cream and black.30 The concept of a tropical hotel may have been the reason for it being named the Raffles, however this connection is not made in the articles cited. Internally, the main lounge was 38 feet long and 36 feet wide, and the tropical lounge which featured a polished timber dance floor was 58 feet long and 26 feet wide. The two lounges were separated by folding glass doors. "The Saloon and Public Bars of the original Canning Bridge Hotel were increased in size, and finished with new textured walls, plaster ceilings, flush panelled walnut bar counters, with chromium edging and footrails, and chromium wall fittings and mirrors. The Dining Room, also situated in the original Canning Bridge Hotel, was redecorated with textured walls and a decorative plaster ceiling, and featured a new 14 feet long plate glass picture window, which overlooked the beer garden and river. A staircase, with wrought iron balustrade and polished maple handrail, led up to the new first floor, accommodating bedrooms, bathrooms, private lounge and two loggias (balconies). The Raffles quickly became a popular place for social entertainment, hosting the "Night in June" Ball and other society events."31 The post depression growth of the surrounding district could well be one of the reasons for the extensive remodelling and extension of the hotel. For example an advertisement placed in the Daily News has a drawing of "Raffles" and the caption "We welcome - Australia's most beautiful college to our district". (Figure 6)32 Calling itself "The Garden Hotel of the State", it makes reference to the fact that it is within a few minutes of Aquinas College (across the bridge in Salter Point), and Santa Maria Ladies' College in Attadale which was also constructed during 1937. Hotels such as the Raffles would have provided convenient places to stay for parents of country students boarding at these colleges, and country and other visitors coming to Perth. The Raffles would also have been a fashionable hotel for entertaining, as promoted in its advertisement, and being on the river, an ideal place for enjoying water sports and Perth's sunny Mediterranean climate. The hotel's deep shady balconies, a striking feature of the original design provided sweeping river views for those who preferred to relax out of the sun. The Hotel was also conveniently located on the recently upgraded Canning Highway (the former Fremantle Road which was renamed in 1937) which provided a direct route to the port city of Fremantle. During the mid-late 1930s the architect, William Bennett was responsible for the renovation of a number of existing hotels and the building of new hotels in styles fashionable at the time. These included remodelling the interior of the Savoy Hotel in Hay Street, Perth, the Esplanade Hotel and the exterior of the Bohemia (the last two have been demolished ), the Oxford Hotel, Leederville; Ocean Beach Hotel, Cottesloe, Scarborough Beach Hotel, Mt Barker Hotel and the Sawyer Valley Hotel. In 1959 further "motel-like" additions were made to the Raff les, for a projected sum of £30,000, which were anticipated to be completed by Christmas. "A double­ storey building will contain twenty rooms with accommodation for two or four in each. The plans for the additions were prepared by Dennis Smith Design Service and the building is being erected by Capitol Constructions."33 The following year another block of twenty units were constructed. "Typical of commercial architecture of the period, the motel blocks, located along the northern and eastern boundaries of the site, were constructed of brick, with shallow pitched metal deck roofs and aluminium window frames. A newspaper article of the time stated that the design of the new units did not match up with the existing hotel, because "the two are not close together"."34 "In the 1970s the hotel was modernised, a programme which included enclosure of the perimeter verandahs and balconies, removal of internal walls and parts of external walls (window ledges, etc.) and the replacement of most 1930s fixtures and fittings on the ground floor. A fire (date unknown) damaged much of the first floor and resulted in extensive repairs, including replacement of the hipped tiled roof with metal decking. A single storey addition was constructed, c.1985, to the east of the main building, in the area once occupied by the Bier garten. The addition which accommodates Raffs night club, has a decorative facade with horizontally banded cement render similar to the 1937 building, but the rear of the building has a standard column and beam structure and large metal framed windows."35 The Raffles has continued to be a well known and popular place for patrons to this day. According to a design submission for the redevelopment of the hotel and its site, dated 1995, the hotel "premises are licensed to cater for approximately 1510 people ... On average the Hotel attracts approximately 1000 people on a Saturday or Sunday during normal operating hours. On some occasions this figure can be exceeded.''36 Recent proposals to demolish the Raffles Hotel and develop the site have met with strong resistance from community action groups, in particular the Art Deco Society of WA. In 1998 the fate of the hotel is still very much in the balance.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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