Federal Coffee Palace

Federal Hotel and Coffee Palace

(1908)
General information
Location Melbourne, Australia
Address 555 Collins Street
Opening 1888
Demolished 1973
Design and construction
Architect William Pitt
Other information
Number of rooms 370

The Federal Hotel and Coffee Palace was a landmark building in Melbourne, Victoria, built in the late 19th century. It was for a time Australia's largest hotel. Despite a campaign for its preservation, it was demolished in 1973.

Design & construction

In 1885, the local businessmen James Mirams and James Munro held a contest for the design of a hotel that would be the finest in the city. It was to be built at 555 Collins Street, on one of Melbourne's main thoroughfares. The winning design by William Pitt, combined a variety of historic styles of architecture with the prevailing Second Empire school.[1] It had an elaborate stone facade topped with a doomed roof. The interior had impressively appointed dining and entertaining rooms on the lower two floors and an open plan, four storey marble lobby leading to the guest rooms. The hotel had 370 guest bedrooms, with a penthouse suite in the tower at the top of the building. The construction took five million bricks and cost £110 000.

Temperance

When opened, the hotel was originally named 'The Federal Hotel and Coffee Palace.' The 'coffee palace' indicated that the hotel, like many establishments in Melbourne at the time, was not licensed to serve alcohol. This was deliberate, as the hotel's original owners were affiliated with the temperance movement. The Federal Hotel was the grandest of the city's alcohol free establishments, but the absence of liquor hampered the hotel's financial success. In 1923, the hotel became licensed, and was renamed 'The Federal Hotel.'

Demolition

For fifty years after licensing, the Federal Hotel continued as one of Melbourne's most impressive places of accommodation. In 1972, the hotel was sold and the new ownership decided to demolish the building and redevelop the site. The National Trust investigated the significance of the building, but decided it was not worthy of protection, and permission was given for demolition in 1973. A large crowd, estimated in the thousands, turned out to watch the building be torn down. An modern style office building called Enterprise House was built in its place. A new skyscraper, tentatively called 555 Collins Street, is currently proposed for the site.

References

  1. ↑ Walking Melbourne

External links

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