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The Great Southern Hotel

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A hotel has existed at 717-723 George Street Haymarket since at least 1858. The hotel at that time was called The Farmer's Home and the licensee was Michael McNarmara. In 1903 he rebuilt Nos. 717-721 George Street as a four-storey hotel and renamed it the Great Southern Hotel. Notwithstanding the change of name the hotel continued to enjoy the patronage of country visitors. Being opposite Central station made it the first accomodation venue new arrivals would see. It is significant as the finest and rare example of a face brick hotel building of Interwar striped Classical Style in the CBD. The building retains all its original external detailing above the awning and much of the interior and original furniture. Detail of the facade I remember as a child on my first trip to Sydney with my father in the early 60's that the Great Southern Hotel is the first thing I saw when exiting Central Railway Station. It has been indelibly etched in my mind as my first memory of Sydn

Sutherlands Hotel

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Originally called the Westminster Hotel, Sutherlands Hotel has been known over the years as Guys and Dolls Hotel and Bar Broadway. Situated at 2-6 Broadway Chippendale, it has one of the few corner hotel ceramic tiled interiors to be retained largely intact in Sydney. The Sutherlands Hotel is a fine example of an interwar Functionalist style building and is one of five hotels built in this style in the Sydney CBD. The others are the Clare Inn, the Australian Hotel, the Hotel Hollywood and the Civic Hotel. The hotel was put up for sale in 2022 with an expected price tag of $45 million. The original Westminter hotel building in 1930. This is the hotel just after being built in 1940. It is also significant by its association with the well known architectural firm of Rudder and Grout and the brewers Tooth and Company. The builder was Elvy &Co and it was completed on 13th May 1940. The Westminster public bar. The public bar is significant as a rare and fine example of

The County Clare

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Also known as the Keg Room Tavern, County Clare Hotel, the Hotel Clare and Clare Hotel. The hotel, situated at 20-24 Broadway Chippendale, was originally called Ryan's Hotel until 17th March 1941 when the sign was changed to The Old Clare Hotel. On 25th July 1966 the name was changed to County Clare Inn. It was designed by Sidney Warden and built by S.D.C.Kennedy and Bird Pty. Ltd. The County Clare Inn is one of five similar inner hotels that were built around the same time. These are the Sutherlands, the Hotel Hollywood, the Civic and the Australian Hotel. The green terracotta tiles The green terracotta detailing on the facade is particularly beautiful and is a distinctive feature of the hotel facade. Here is a picture of the main bar The Art Deco style interior ceilings and timber panelling to the ground floor have significance as a fine example of the interior detailing of this style of corner hotel. Ceiling detail above the main bar area. Picture of

The Australian Hotel

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Also know as the Abercrombe hotel the Australian Hotel, situated at 100-102 Broadway in Chippendale, was constructed in 1938 and is situated on the southern extremity of the Carlton (Tooths) Brewery site. It has aesthetic significance as part of a group of five brick hotels constructed in the Sydney CBD in the interwar Functionalist style. They are the Clare Inn, Sutherlands hotel, the Hotel Hollywood and the Civic hotel. The Australian Hotel building features face brickwork, vertical elements and a curving facade with deeply recessed balconies, all of which are identifiers of the style. The Australian Hotel was one of three hotels built in close proximity to the Carlton (Tooths) Brewery, the others being the Clare Inn and Sutherlands. The architects were Copeman, Lemont and Keesing the builder was H.W. Thompson. The original tiles are still on the building and are in good condition as shown in the photo. Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

The Hotel Broadway

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Originally known as the Albion Hotel the Hotel Broadway, situated at 166-170 Broadway, was constructed in 1936. It is a good and relatively intact example of an interwar Functionalist style hotel building, designed by architect Sidney Warden. Warden designed the vast majority of the Art Deco hotels located in Sydney. A pub crawl of Warden's hotels would be a very long and exhausting exercise! The Albion hotel in 1930 Before the 1936 renovation by Tooth & Co. The Hotel Broadway just after renovation The hotel in 1937 with additional signage on the awning Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings Historical photographs from ANU Tooths & Co Yellow Card Collection

Commonwealth Bank Croydon

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This example of the interwar style Art Deco bank buildings built by the Commonwealth Bank is located in Croydon at 6 The Strand. According the the owner of the grocery shop next door the bank finished operations in the building over 10 years ago and the building is currently a video store. The Commonwealth Bank building boasts a nice Art Deco relief above the front door however the rest of the building has been painted unsympathetically to the style. Art Deco relief above front door Sources: Commonwealth Bank Archive Department

Art Deco Buildings in Southport

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A stroll down Nerang Street in Southport reveals several beautiful Art Deco buildings. As one of the oldest suburbs on the Gold Coast in Queensland Southport has several excellent examples of Art Deco architecture. Continue down Nerang Street from the Town Hall and you will discover the Cecil B DeMilles Hotel on the corner of Scarborough Street. With its long open verandahs above the awnings and the imposing round Art Deco facade it occupies the corner site like a grand old Hollywood starlet. It is the oldest public house on the Gold Coast to maintain its original name throughout all its years of operation The new hotel replaced an ealier structure on the site and was designed by Addison and MacDonald. It opened in 1938. The exterior of the building included brown and cream tiles with Venetian red bricks cut through with cream bands. The roofing tiles were multi-coloured Marseilles tiles. The interior decoration of the hotel was in red, green and autumnal tones and featured poli