26 August 2024
The Beaconsfield Hotel in West St Kilda has been in the news lately; infamous as the pub where cricketer David Hookes sadly died in 2004 after being hit by a bouncer, it’s been closed ever since, and now there’s an application to refurbish and reopen. It’s quite a big pub, and turns out it was built as a resort hotel, not just a watering hole, Designed by the prolific William Pitt, it opened in 1881, at a time when there wasn’t much at all further to west, so it must have really stood out. Originally it had a single level open porch between the towers, later an upper level was added, probably in 1927, and both levels glassed some time after. It’ll look better painted some other colour, or preferably just unpainted, though the columns look like they need some work. Info and old pics from St Kilda Historical Society.
Storey of Melbourne 