Premier Hotel

Author

City of Albany

Place Number

00080

Location

194-208 York St Albany

Location Details

Local Government

Albany

Region

Great Southern

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
Heritage List Adopted 27 Oct 2020

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
Statewide Hotel Survey Completed 01 Nov 1997
Local Heritage Survey Adopted 27 Oct 2020 Considerable
Municipal Inventory Adopted 30 Jun 2001 Category B

Statement of Significance

Premier Hotel has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: The place is associated with many well-known and prominent local citizens of Albany including Thomas Place, Richard Burridge, W. A. Shurer, and architects J. C. Smith and W. Harry Jefferis, and was the location of the first meeting of the Albany Roads Board. The place was the third hotel built in Albany and has been an established part of Albany social life for more than a century. The place is one of a group of significant buildings in York Street containing a diverse range of architecture predominantly in the Federation and Inter-War styles which together have formed the main commercial and civic heart of Albany next to Stirling Terrace Precinct and with important views to Princess Royal Harbour.

Physical Description

Some of the notable features of this place include: • Prominent corner location in York St, in the centre of the Albany business district • Painted brick with corrugated iron roof • Rectangularity of façade emphasised by squared off parapet (not original) • Prominent corner door • Arched windows on both levels • A series of chimneys with moulded capping Some obvious modifications include: • Single storey addition to the north • Two storey timber verandah removed and replaced with cantilevered flat roof canopy • Angled shutters on windows facing York St

History

The Premier Hotel, built in 1891, was the third hotel built in Albany and has been an established part of Albany social life for more than a century. Only two of the original 3 hotels remain, the other being the Albany Hotel, which was previously the Freemason’s Hotel. Minutes of the Albany Roads Board indicate that the first meeting of the Board was held in the dining room of the Premier Hotel in 1896. The hotel was two storey with a decorative parapet bearing the name of the hotel and its date of construction “Premier 1891 Hotel”. The proprietor of the hotel from 1895-1906 was Thomas Place who was also a Councilor of the Albany Municipal Council. Place left Albany for Adelaide in 1906. The next proprietor was Marcus Anthony O’Grady who added a “capacious” balcony and verandah to the building, and carried out extensive alterations internally including installing a newly fitted lounge bar which opened in 1909. (Albany Advertiser 3/4/1909) In 1912, Richard R. Burridge acquired the hotel. O'Grady was still the licensee at this time, but Mr I. G. Boyle soon took over. In 1913, Burridge engaged the architect Mr J. C. Smith, from Perth, to enlarge and renovate the hotel. The result was almost a complete re-modelling of the original hotel building, as reported in the Albany Advertiser: The house has been doubled in size, doors and passages have been widened, windows and doors have been closed and new ones substituted for them, and, indeed, such alterations have been made as to justify the statement that the building as it stands is a new one…Within the entrance there is a roomy lounge, from which a handsome staircase leads to the floor above. There is a panelled ceiling and rich wall covering to make this retreat attractive. The dining room measures 36ft by 18ft and a second dining room is provided for children. (Albany Advertiser 8/10/1913, p. 3) J. C. Smith designed several other new buildings in Albany including residences such as Merfield’s House in Serpentine Road, as well as renovations and alterations such as for Barnett’s store on Stirling Terrace. The verandah was also extended to wrap around from the front to the end of the Grey Street elevation “…making a splendid promenade, 275 feet in extent”. (Albany Advertiser 8/10/1913) The original front (west) parapet was squared off and extended along the north elevation following the new verandah. The date of these additions “1913” was inscribed on the west facing first floor façade. The hotel was modernised with all the latest conveniences with regards the kitchen, bathrooms and lavatories, and some of the bedrooms had private sitting-rooms. Burridge died in 1928 and the hotel was auctioned the following year. It was purchased by William Harper for £6,550, who also then held the license for the Freemason's Hotel in Stirling Terrace. When Harper purchased the hotel it was advertised as having 20 bedrooms, a sitting and dining room, offices and two large bar areas. In 1930 the hotel was put on the market. A description in the Albany Advertiser notes the hotel had 26 bedrooms, bars, dining room, commercial rooms, bathrooms, hot water service and electric light and was also now sewered throughout. In 1936, the hotel was sold to Mr W. A. Schurer, who at one time owned the London Hotel and was also a councillor on the Albany Town Council. Shurer engaged local architect W. Harry Jefferis to draw up alterations to the hotel. (Albany Advertiser 15/10/1936) In 1950, Shurer sold the hotel to the Swan Brewery, as well as several of the adjacent shops. In 1955 the hotel opened Albany’s first ever beer garden. In the 1950s/60s the two storey verandah was removed and replaced with a flat roofed cantilevered awning typical of this period. In 2016, the hotel was damaged by a deliberately lit fire, with the main damage to the interior. In 2019 conservation works commenced to restore the hotel.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Authenticity: Moderate

Condition

Fair

Associations

Name Type Year From Year To
W Harry Jefferis Architect - -
J C Smith Architect - -

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
Heritage Database City of Albany 1994
L Johnson; "Town of Albany Heritage Survey". City of Albany 1994
Heritage TODAY Site visit and Assessment 1999
R Apperly, R Irving, P Reynolds; "A Pictorial Guide ot Identifying Australian Architecture". Angus and Robertson NSW 1989

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use COMMERCIAL Hotel, Tavern or Inn
Original Use COMMERCIAL Hotel, Tavern or Inn

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron
Wall BRICK Common Brick

Historic Themes

General Specific
OCCUPATIONS Hospitality industry & tourism

Creation Date

28 Jun 1988

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

24 May 2022

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.