Unicorn Hotel (Former)
127 STURT STREET, BALLARAT CENTRAL - PROPERTY NUMBER 2030745, BALLARAT CITY
Lydiard Street Heritage Precinct
![Ballarat City](http://api.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/img/owner_icons/61.gif)
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
![Former unicorn hotel - - Film 7 / Frame 34 - Ballarat Conservation Study, 1978 Former unicorn hotel - - Film 7 / Frame 34 - Ballarat Conservation Study, 1978](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/091/668.jpg)
![Former unicorn hotel - - Film 7 / Frame 34 - Ballarat Conservation Study, 1978 Former unicorn hotel - - Film 7 / Frame 34 - Ballarat Conservation Study, 1978](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/091/668.jpg)
![Former unicorn hotel - 1978 The Corner, Sturt Street, Ballarat, c.1866. The Unicorn Hotel can be seen to the centre left of the photograph, behind the brace of stockbrokers and their clients. The front brick facade can be seen clearly, before the erection Former unicorn hotel - 1978 The Corner, Sturt Street, Ballarat, c.1866. The Unicorn Hotel can be seen to the centre left of the photograph, behind the brace of stockbrokers and their clients. The front brick facade can be seen clearly, before the erection](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/091/669.jpg)
![Former unicorn hotel - This view by Nettleton, taken in the 1870's shows the Hotel in its full elegance, complete with its crowning unicorn. (photograph: Nettleton's victorian Views Album, La Trobe Library) - Ballarat Conservation Study, 1978 Former unicorn hotel - This view by Nettleton, taken in the 1870's shows the Hotel in its full elegance, complete with its crowning unicorn. (photograph: Nettleton's victorian Views Album, La Trobe Library) - Ballarat Conservation Study, 1978](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/091/670.jpg)
Statement of Significance
-
-
Unicorn Hotel (Former) - Physical Description 1
The present building facade dates from 1866 and the rest of the building was built some time later behind this facade, replacing the original prefabricated wooden building. The building has French doors opening to an upper storey balcony with a most elegant two storied verandah. Originally the verandah had a balustraded parapet with a centrally mounted unicorn. This distinctive treatment is now unfortunately not extant. The building and its verandah are of great importance in a statewide context. This would appear to be the only extant building with a two storied verandah of this early form. The building is also important, historically, being situated at "the Corner",'where frenzied stockbroking activity once took place at a time when Ballarat was a city of world importance.
Unicorn Hotel (Former) - Intactness
INTACTNESS: Shopfronts altered, parapet altered
Unicorn Hotel (Former) - Physical Description 2
The earliest reference to the Unicorn Hotel would appear to be in The Miner of 22 August 1856 when Thomas Vaughan was the public. The hotel was the third to be erected in West Ballarat after Baths now Craigs Royal Hotel) and the George, and became the centre of the I exciting incidents connected with the "Corner" and the Mining Exchange next speculation door. 1
This early hotel would appear to be that seen in the photograph of 1863-64.This building is wooden and appears to be prefabricated. A later photograph (c.1866) 3 shows the same wooden section; however a substantial brick facade has now been added. existing, albeit with slight modifications. This facade is still The owner of the hotel during this period was William Stevensou, and between 1865 and 1866 the building description changed from wood to brick, thereby enabling the photo to be dated. Later in 1866 Stevenson erected the existing brick building4 behind the already completed facade.
In 1885-1886 in an advertisement for the firm of Caselli and Figgis Popjoy's Unicorn Hotel is listed as one of their designs. Popjoy owned the hotel from about 1870 until the 1890's. In 1938 the bluestone footings were chopped back to take tiles. 5 -The Unicorn operated as a hotel until 1957 when it was closed by the owner 6 J.Beecham.
The hotel facade is composed on the upper floor of French doors surmounted by austerely detailed Renaissance heads on consoles, and on the centre door a pediment. The building has a particularly elegant and early verandah and balcony, which tend to over-shadow the facade. It is a two storey version of the early single storey flat roofed and balustraded post '.3randahs. The original elements are (from ground up): the s~ender cast iron columns with Corinthiar. capitals; ground floor brackets, swag bellied balcony panels; the double timber bressumer with frieze iron inserts; cornice and brackets. There are four missing ground floor brackets, and those at first floor, perhaps covered by the existing flat fascia, and the now flat surfaced parapet originally was an elaborate set of balusters with a unicorn statue mounted centrally. Early photographs and etchings7 show the hotel as an opulent structure which was originally luxuriant with potted palms on the first floor level.
This building, and especially its verandah, is of great nterest in a state wide context. This is the only remaining two storied verandah of this form. Unfortunately various alterations to the balcony have resulted in the stripping of all the distinctive treatment of the parapet in which the balustrading parapet extended out over the balcony with a central block carrying the unicorn. Even so, this building is of the utmost importance to Sturt Street and to Ballarat,, where it forms an important part of the environmental area.
Heritage Study and Grading
Ballarat - Ballarat Conservation Study
Author: Jacobs Lewis Vines Architects
Year: 1978
Grading:
-
-
-
-
-
FORMER BALLARAT EAST FREE LIBRARYVictorian Heritage Register H1493
-
FORMER POLICE STATION, BALLARATVictorian Heritage Register H1544
-
BALLARAT TRADES HALLVictorian Heritage Register H0657
-
"1890"Yarra City
-
"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
-
"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
-
'The Pines' Scout CampHobsons Bay City
-
106 Nicholson StreetYarra City
-
12 Gore StreetYarra City
-
-