Peninsula Hotel (fmr)

Statement of Significance

The place is significant for its association with the development of the Maylands townsite. It has a special association with Wilhelm Friederich Gustave Liebe, the building contractor, who has worked on a number of prominent buildings throughout Perth. It has social and cultural significance, both as a Hotel and being that it was one of the first buildings in Perth to be saved as a result of public campaigning.

Physical Description

The hotel is a fine Edwardian style structure of two storeys with a corner tower crowned by a cupola. The two street facades feature deep verandahs supported on Metters cast iron posts and balustrades of lace. Much of the interior is authentic, though some parts are missing. It has cavity tuck pointed brickwork, timber double hung sash windows and a clay tile roof. The cupola in the corner tower is zinc clad. It has fine mosiac tiles, stained glass windows and a plaster vault over the main stair.

History

The Peninsula Hotel forms part of the Maylands Town centre. The building demonstrates the early expansion of Maylands as a residential suburb, which followed the establishment of the Ferguson factory and the railway station. The building was constructed and owned by Wilhelm Friederich Gustave Liebe, a well known Perth Building contractor. The site was chosen to take full advantage of the benefits of being located directly opposite the railway station. Liebe and his partner Joseph Klein moved from Melbourne to Western Australia in 1891, at which time this long standing partnership dissolved due to Klein's illhealth. In Perth, Liebe worked with leading architects on a number of large and grandiose projects, including Queen's Hall (1899), His Majesty's Theatre (1904), the Public Art Gallery (1908), several banks and a number of stations for the Midland Railway Company of Western Australia. Liebe specialised in hotel construction, with the Peninsula Hotel, which he owned, being of partcular note. The Peninsula Hotel has played a prominent role in the social life of the Maylands community. While the declaration of war on Germany in August 1914 saw the hotel doors closed, after WWI the hotel continued as a centre of social activity. During the 1920s and early 1930s, the hotel was the start and finish line for the Beverley to Perth Cycle Race, inaugurated by Mr Percy Armstrong. However, by the 1970s demand for suburban hotel accommodation had declined, Australian drinking habits were changing and the Peninsula Hotel was in need of repairs and updating. In 1973, the Swan Brewery decided to build a tavern on an adjacent site and proposed demolishing the Peninsula Hotel to provide a car park. The building's high degree of social value was clearly demonstrated at this time, with the local community and the National Trust of Australia making significant efforts to prevent its demolition in the 1970s. After a well attended public meeting in July 1974, the brewery agreed to a "stay of execution" and influenced by this change in attitude, the National Trust classified the building. It was the intention of the Peninsula Association, a group formed independently by people interested in conserving the old hotel building, to restore the building to a condition in which community groups would be able to use the hotel as a focus for social activities and community development. This has been achieved, with the building currently being used by a variety of community groups as a base for their organisation. It is one of the earliest historic places to be saved through public outcry. The building is a rare example of a richly detailed Edwardian Hotel, still largely in its original form, in metropolitan Perth.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High Authenticity - High

Condition

Overall condition is fair to good, though maintenance and restoration programs are ongoing.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update