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Former Western Hotel

Other Names Bayview Hotel ,  Commercial Hotel Location 2 Mercer Street,, GEELONG VIC 3220 - Property No B0938 File Number B0938 Level State

[1/1] B0938 Bayview Hotel

Statement of Significance

The Bay View Hotel, a 3 storey stone structure originally known as the Western Hotel, was erected in 1853 on a corner site at 2 Mercer Street, Geelong, for publican Henry Rourke. Architect John Young designed this stylised Renaissance Revival structure with a Barrabool Sandstone facade, basalt plinth, rusticated ground floor, and ashlar upper floors all enhanced with enframed windows, balustraded parapet and curved corner entrance.
The Hotel was one of 19 hotels erected in Geelong in 1853-54 to accommodate the influx of gold seeking immigrants to this burgeoning town. This substantial hotel is an important example of stylised Renaissance Revival architecture in Victoria and an interesting work of John Young, the most accomplished and original of Geelong's early architects. The unusual enframed window details and curved corner arrangement is characteristic of the architect's work.
The exterior of the Hotel has been painted in a colour to match the original sandstone colour. The original balustraded parapet has been replaced by a more ornamental baluster. The interior has been modified.
Classified: 21/05/1959
Revised: 03/08/1998