A redevelopment of the long neglected #SirCharlesHothamHotel on the corner of Flinders & Spence has been announced – and it might not be too bad ! Built in 1913, it’s one of the last designs by #WilliamPittArchitect, and apart from the corner bar and billiard room, the interiors are pretty intact, with art nouveau tiling and plaster in the lobbies and first floor rooms, original corridors, etc. I was worried when it sold a few years ago, despite being heritage listed, but it sold to #SheshGale, who restored the old Argus building without adding 10 floors, and he says that here they’re keeping the main rooms intact, and there is in fact space out the back for the tower shown here – the plans arnt out yet, but fingers crossed !

24 February 2024

The gate on Flinders Street to the laneway behind the Charles Hotham Hotel was open, so I got these great shots ! There’s a little independent outbuilding back there, which was originally the Billiard Room for the Great Southern Hotel next door on Flinders Street, and lots of nice brick back walls and light wells etc. Some of this would be retained in the plans for a hotel tower applied for in 2021, including most of the little building, and much of the notable original lobbies too. It was a backpackers for ages, now closed.

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