Como Hotel

Statement of Significance

• The place has aesthetic value for its remaining form and detail of the Inter War Functionalist style which is most evident in the main facades to Canning Highway and South Street. • The place has aesthetic value as a landmark in the streetscape for its prominent elevated position on a busy traffic junction. • The place has historic value for its association with the residential development of this area of South Perth in the 1930s. • The place has social value for the many members of the community who have attended the hotel for social events since 1939.

Physical Description

The Como Hotel is a two storey building of the Inter-War Functionalist (Austerity Moderne) design. The hotel is situated at the top of the highest point in the area and addresses the major intersection of South Terrace with Canning Highway. The prominent rectangular painted brick façade equally addresses both Canning Highway and South Terrace, provides a strong entry statement. The entry feature incorporates double height, octagonal Art Deco columns with chevron and scroll motifs supporting a concrete canopy and balcony balustrade. The entrance doors are set deep in the façade underneath the balcony. A tall parapet wall above the entrance/balcony adds further vertical emphasis to the entrance. The formerly cream brick building has been painted and is now grey/blue with cream accents. The public rooms and upper floor former bedrooms (no longer used) form symmetrical wings on either side of the entrance, with a continuous balcony running the length of each wing. A concrete balustrade in contrasting cream colour links the whole with a strong horizontal emphasis, typical of early ‘modern’ architecture. The hipped roof is of Marseilles pattern clay tiles and is pierced by several large simple brick chimneys. The windows at the lower level are placed with a regular rhythm adding a formality to the building. Some of the window openings have been replaced with metal framed openings and additional door openings have also been added.

History

In the early part of the twentieth century, largely due to their riverside location, Como and South Perth proved very popular with picnickers and holiday makers. By the late 1930s, these suburbs were rapidly developing as a popular choice of residence. The increasing importance of the Fremantle-Canning Road (now Canning Highway) as a major thoroughfare, made it a logical choice for new developments. Two new hotels were built in this period to serve the growing population of residents and visitors - the Hurlingham Hotel (1930-2004) and the Como Hotel (1939). The Como Hotel was built in 1939 for the owner Albert Edgar Dolin (c1890-1977). The design of the hotel was prepared by architects Oldham Boas Ednie-Brown and constructed by E. Allwood and Sons for £20,000. At the completion of the hotel it was celebrated as one of the most modern and well appointed hotels in Perth which made full use of the large corner block with commanding views to the city and river. Notable features of the hotel were the use of reinforced concrete in the upper floor and advanced use of structural steelwork. The extensive use of modern furniture, furnishings and lighting was considered part of this realisation of the utmost modernity. The original furniture scheme made extensive use of wall-to-wall Imperial Axminster carpeting in tone on toning - green in all major areas and fawn in the writing room. Polished jarrah furniture with thirty soft, restful lounge chairs upholstered in green to suit the general colour scheme, and numerous leather armchairs were part of the furniture. Contractors involved in the construction and fitting of the Como Hotel include E Allwood (builder), G Jenkinson Ltd (steelwork), G Smith and Son (painting), Heran Bros. and Stead (furniture) and Kelly and Rodoreda (fine dining supplies). In 1965, a bottle shop was added to the site which was a common trend in Perth hotels of the period. Ownership of the property transferred from the Dolin family in c1982 when it was acquired by local businessman Stan Perron and his business partner, Lyn Ryan who retained it until 2007. The hotel has undergone several programs of refurbishment and additions, including in 2014 when the bottle shop was demolished and a larger liquor store built on the site, and again in 2020 where the bottle shop was again demolished and replaced with an even larger liquor store. Significant alterations were also made to the Como Hotel in 2020 including to the rear courtyard, back-of-house facilities and the external facade.

Integrity/Authenticity

High / Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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