"Argyle Hotel"
30 Aberdeen Street, GEELONG WEST VIC 3218 - Property No 200139
Great Western Road
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
Statement of Significance
STATE SIGNIFICANCE - INCLUDED IN HERITAGE PRECINCT
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Argyle Hotel was erected in 1855 for William Rae at the height of the post gold rush hotel building boom in Geelong. Architect John Young, noted for his earlier designs for the 'Golden Age' and 'Bay View' hotels in Geelong, designed the Argyle hotel in a similar classically derived style which was dominated by modeling brick parapets, architraves and mouldings in distinctive patters. In August 1857 a meeting held in the Argyle Hotel led to the formation of the Borough of Newtown and Chilwell. The Argyle hotel is one of the first establishments of the 1850's in Geelong.
The Argyle Hotel was an important meeting place in the nineteenth centuary for people to discuss such things as, the separation of Newtown and Chilwell and Thomson ward from Geelong, and meetings of the Geelong Football Club. The building was designed by the important Geelong based architect John Young and is one of the two known examples by him which brickwork has been used in this innovative way to stylize Italian High Renaissance elements. It is of State significance.
REFERENCES
L Huddle - 'Architects In Geelong in the 1840's and 1850's, Department of Architecture, University of Melbourne 1979. VIl 1, p 32-3, p 105-6.
G Seaton - The Ashby Story - A History of Geelong West, Geelong West City Council 1978. pp 51-2, 121, 171.
I Wynd - 'Hotels of Geelong West', Investigators, Vol 10, No 1, P 6.
Geelong Advertiser - 11th January, 1855 - Tender Notice for Willingham Index - Foundation works.
12th March, 1855 - tender notice for plastering.
5th January, 1859 - For sale notice
20th March, 1869 - For sale notice with description.
19th April, 1880 - Tender notice for extensions.
Seaton Gladys - The Ashby Story - A History of Geelong West, Adams Printers, for Geelong West City Council, 1978 pp 51, 65, 95 & 232.
Brownhill, W R - The History of Geelong West and Corio Bay - Wilke and Co, Melbourne, 1955 - p 376.
-
-
"Argyle Hotel" - Physical Description 1
The Argyle is a two storey red brick building (now painted), constructed in English garden wall bond. It has freestone window sills, plus shutters on the first floor. The ground floor windows are recessed with segmental arched window heads supported by brackets represented in brickwork. The Tympanum is hollow and between these the use of the stringcourse with dentils below is evident. Young has carried the theme right through his design to the balustrade parapet supported by brackets, all these Renaissance elements being represented by stylized brick. While Young's use of brick is similar in both this hotel and the Golden Age Hotel (a better example), almost every detail is formed in a different way. The section at the northern end which has no surface decoration, is a later addition.
Heritage Study and Grading
Greater Geelong - City of Geelong West Urban Conservation Study
Author: Huddle, Aitken and Honman
Year: 1986
Grading: BGreater Geelong - Ashby Heritage Review
Author: D Rowe and W Jacobs
Year: 2010
Grading:
-
-
-
-
-
FORMER GEELONG WOOL EXCHANGEVictorian Heritage Register H0622
-
GEELONG TOWN HALLVictorian Heritage Register H0184
-
IRON STOREVictorian Heritage Register H0742
-
-