Sydney Art Deco Heritage

The Zanzibar Hotel at 323 King Street in Newtown occupies the site of John Webster’s New Town store which existed there in the early 1800s and was where the name Newtown originated. The hotel was established as the Daniel Webster Hotel in 1863 and later renamed the Oxford Hotel in 1875. It has some nice Art Deco ornament on the facade which was probably added during the 1930s. In the 1980’s it was renamed the Oxford Tavern and after major refurbishments with an African theme circa 2001-2002 was renamed the Zanzibar. King street facade Facade detail Sources: Sydney Archives - Newtown Project GDay Pubs Australia

The Golden Barley Hotel at 165-169 Edgeware Road in Enmore was opened in 1939 and was designed by architects Joy and Pollit. It is recognised in the RAIA Reister of Significant 20th Century Buildings as a prime example of Art Deco architecture. Many original features are still in evidence throughout the hotel particularly upstairs. Golden Barley facade detail Public bar ceiling There have been several internal renovations over the years but thankfully the curved ceiling mouldings have been retained thus preserving the Art Deco flavour. Public bar The Public Bar layout is markedly different to the original layout with the bar area now along the back wall. The give away to the layout change is the seating area underneath the ceiling moulding which runs the length of the room. These moulded ceiling highlights were an integral design feature of the bar service area below and usually mirrored the shape of the bar. Here is a picture showing how the Public Bar was ori

The Golden Sheaf Hotel located at 429 New South Head Road in Double Bay is a heritage listed inter war hotel built in 1936 designed by Provost and Ruwald. The hotel is listed in the RAIA Register of Significant 20th Century Buildings. Previously it was the site of an Eddie Jensen tennis court. Golden Sheaf hotel facade detail

The Rosebery Hotel is located at 569 Botany Road, Rosebery and it is a two storey, interwar Functionalist hotel with streamlined corners and original sign. It boasts a parapeted façade with steel casement windows and face brickwork above the awning characterised by recessed string coursing. This hotel was constructed in 1939 to the design of J G Dalziel of the Tooth & Co Architectural Department. Detail of the hotel facade Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

The Imperial Hotel, located at 35 Erskineville Road in Erskineville was purchased by Tooth and company in February 1931. It was rebuilt to a design by V D Renshaw and completed in November 1940. Renshaw had changed his name from Virgil D Cizzio. He designed the Great Southern Hotel on George Street in the same year. His rebuilding extended the Hotel across the whole of the site and demolished the previous structures. The Hotel became widely known when it was featured in the successful film "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" (1995) and is well known as a gay cabaret and entertainment venue. The interiors retain some of their Art Deco flavour, particularly to the rear cabaret room and upper stairs. Not much of the interior detail has been altered. Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

This site at 102 Erskineville Road, Erskineville, has been occupied by a hotel since at least 1882. The current Erskinevile Hotel is a good representative example of an Interwar Art Deco style hotel and was designed by the architects Copeman Lemont & Keesing in 1940. The architects Copeman, Lemont and Keesing designed several other Inter War hotels in Sydney including the Kurrajong hotel down the road, the Alfred hotel in Camperdown, the Australian and Criterion hotels. Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

Tucked away on 2 Foster Street in Surry Hills, just off Elizabeth Street, the Hotel Hollywood is a hidden gem in the city fringe. Originally known as the Nevada Hotel it had its name changed in October 1941 to The Hotel Hollywood. It was designed by architect John M Hellyer and built by W.M. Hughes and Co. P/L. When completed in 1940 the hotel formed part of the 'cinema' enclave with the film distribution offices of 20th Century Fox and Paramount nearby. There have been no significant recorded changes to the building after its construction. Detail of the facade The Hotel Hollywood is one of five similar style hotels built in the southern precinct of the city within a short period between 1938 and 1942. The others are the Australian, the Clare Inn, Sutherlands and the Civic. The Hotel Hollywood is the only one to have survived intact without recorded alterations or modifications of any kind either externally or internally. Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

The Commonwealth Bank at 58 Spit Road in Spit Junction is another Art Deco gem built in 1935 by Messrs Hutcherson Bros of Stanmore Road, Petersham and supervised by the Department of the Interior, Works and Services Branch of NSW. It was completed in August 1935. During work in 1978 the exterior ‘cantilevered’ awning was extended across and above the main entrance of the branch. The branch closed in April 1998. Thankfully the awning was subsequently removed much to the benefit of the building. Facade detail The branch in 1977 Prior to general construction works the following year. The branch in 1978 The extended box awning across the front of the bank. Totally destroyed the nature of the building The branch in 1992 THe awning was still there in 1992. Currently (2022) the bulky awning is long gone and the building is now occupied by Signarama who have placed a *mini* awning over the front door. It still looks *tacked on* to the building because they have int

Built in 1940 this double storeyed, cement rendered brick building in the familiar ‘Commonwealth Bank Art Deco’ style of the times, featured a ground floor banking chamber with a Manager’s residence on the first floor. An unusual feature of the design of the building, located at 838-840 Princes Highway in Tempe, was the three rounded external walls with glass brick windows and the flat roofs, one leading to a roof garden. This style of architecture evolved in the Architectural Branch of the Commonwealth Department of the Interior who were the main architects the Bank used for its building construction up the late 1950s. In December 1989 the bank sold the building but retained tenancy from 1990 for an initial 5 year period. In October 1996 the branch was closed. Main entrance detail The bank in 1940 New signage in 1992 Sources: Commonwealth Bank Archive Department

This Art Deco hotel is located at 1134 Pacific Highway in Pymble. The Pymble Hotel is yet another Interwar hotel built in 1939 whose outstanding feature is the sun ray brickwork design on the front and side facades. Each brick has been individually shaped to form each radiating ray on the feature. The Art Deco hotel decoration is very similar to that of the Zetland hotel. It shares the prominant vertical decoration on the facade (albeit smaller), leadlight windows and cream tiles. Brick sun ray design Variation of front facade motif at the side entrance Leadlight window Street level tiles

The West Ryde Hotel, at 1021 Victoria Road in West Ryde, is another suburban interwar hotel that has had major renovations which have all but erased the original interwar design features and fittings. Facade detail There has been an effort made to introduce a modern deco feel into their new graphic although it sits uncomfortably on the hotel facade along with the original design.

The Salisbury Hotel at 112 Percival Street in Stanmore has proved a very difficult subject to research. Thanks to a reader I have learned that it was constructed as a Federation building (date unknown) and was rebuilt in 1935 by H.E. Ross & Rowe architects. The facade was extensively modified and the interior changed to allow for a better service during the "six-o'clock swill". A garage was also added at the back I would appreciate any information you may be able to provide to add to this post. Facade detail Ceiling light in the hotel