Back to search results » Back to search page »

Great Western Hotel

Location

177 Aberdeen Street NEWTOWN, GREATER GEELONG CITY

Level

Incl in HO area indiv sig

[1/10]
Great Western Hotel, 177
[2/10]
Source of base Map: NearMap,
[3/10]
Photo 2: Front (east)
[4/10]
Photo 3: Rear (west)
[5/10]
Figure 1: Portion of the
[6/10]
Figure 2: Subdivision of
[7/10]
Figure 3: Great Western Hotel,
[8/10]
Figure 4: Aerial view of
[9/10]
Figure 5: Great Western Hotel
[10/10]
Figure 6: Great Western Hotel,

Statement of Significance

What is Significant?
The Great Western Hotel, 177 Aberdeen Street, Newtown, has significance as a local heritage landmark in this part of Newtown, and particularly as a moderately intact, austere and yet robust example of interwar hotel design in Geelong. Built in 1925 to a design by the architects, Cleverdon and McLaughlin, the significant fabric includes the two storey hipped roof forms clad in terra cotta tiles, brick chimneys, symmetrical two storey brick facades defined by central and flanking (corner), stepped, parapeted bays articulated with paired brick first floor pilasters featuring soldier-coursed bands and topped with moulded stringcourses, vertically-oriented timber framed double hung windows, bank of three timber framed double hung first floor windows with leadlighting in the central bay of the east facade, parapet signage lettering in the central bay of the east facade, ground floor entrance opening in the central bay of the east facade with vestigial columns in antis (the original door opening has been replaced with a window and brick surround), modest eaves overhangs between the parapeted bays, ground floor window and door openings, projecting moulded stringcourses, and the tiled ground floor dados (but not the overpainting).

How is it significant?
The Great Western Hotel, 177 Aberdeen Street, Newtown, is historically and aesthetically significant at a LOCAL level.

Why is it significant?
The Great Western Hotel, 177 Aberdeen Street, has historical significance for its longstanding associations with hotel operations from 1925, the site being the location of a hotel since 1854 (Criterion A). It also has significance for its associations with the local architects, Cleverdon and McLaughlin, who designed a number of hotels in Geelong in the 1920s (Criterion H). The Great Western Hotel has further associations with the long term owners, Hodges Brothers and Carlton and United Breweries (Criterion H), both of whom held considerable brewing and hotel interests in Geelong and more widely, Victoria, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Criterion H).

The Great Western Hotel, 177 Aberdeen Street, has aesthetic significance as a moderately intact, austere and robust example of an interwar suburban hotel in Geelong, and as a local heritage landmark in this part of Newtown (Criteria D & E). This is reflected in the two storey hipped roofed building with parapeted rectangular bays having stepped pilasters and simple detailing. The Great Western Hotel is comparable to other hotels by the architects, Cleverdon and McLaughlin, including the Telegraph Hotel, Geelong West, which is s more streamlined and more overtly Art Deco-inspired in detail. The Great Western Hotel is a more refined example with other comparable Cleverdon-designed hotels, including the De La Ville Hotel, Little Myers Street, and Preston Hotel, Ryrie Street, which were the progenitors to its design.

Heritage Overlay Map
It is recommended that the heritage overlay is applied to the portion of the site at 177 Aberdeen Street containing the two storey hotel building, extending beyond the Title boundaries to the roadside kerbs, as shown on the following map:

Group

Recreation and Entertainment

Great Western Hotel

Location

Level

Statement of Significance

Group

Category