HARVEST HOME HOTEL
766 ELIZABETH STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
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Statement of Significance
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HARVEST HOME HOTEL - History
SiteCard data copied on 26/08/2024:Whilst the Haymarket North site is presently located within the City of Melbourne, the area to the south of Grattan Street and east of Elizabeth Street has traditionally been identified as comprising the south-western end of Carlton in the relevant historical literature (Valka, 2024). Carlton developed in the context of the 1850s gold rush boom in Melbourne. The portion of Carlton to the south of Grattan Street and west of the Carlton Gardens was surveyed in 1852 (Chambers & Mayne 2004). This survey was undertaken by Robert Hoddle in an orderly manner similarly to how he had previously designed the main grid of Melbourne, with the specific aim of avoiding the disorganised sprawl which had already come to characterise Collingwood and Fitzroy (RBA Architects 2013). The rapid growth of Carlton during the gold rush meant that buildings were generally constructed without adherence to Hoddle’s 1852 grid system, often resulting in narrower laneways being blocked off by later buildings (Chambers & Mayne 2004). The south-western section of Carlton came to be largely characterised by streets lined with timber cottages and rows of cheaply built terrace houses, with the main landmarks being several large bluestone breweries and flour mills (Nigel Lewis and Associates 1984: 23). An 1888-1901 Melbourne Subdivision plan (Figure 8) shows that the Harvest Home Hotel precinct was within Section 72B and was divided across two separate lots (lots 3 and 4) held by W. Myers and M. Dawson. These lots were purchased by 1858 and 1859 respectively. Notably, the years the surrounding lots were purchased range between 1858 and 1863, indicating that this section of land was subdivided slightly later than the rest of south-west Carlton. The Coach Factory to the immediate south of the Harvest Home Hotel is known to have been purchased by the Sachs brothers in the late 1850s (see Coach Factory site card submitted alongside this one). The Smith Ward Rate Book from May 1864 (VPRS 5703/P0000) was reviewed and the 5 wards to north of that owned by John G. Sach are marked as “unoccupied land”. The proposed extent of the Harvest Home Hotel site partially intersects with a large E-shaped building depicted on the 1864 Henry Laird Cox plan (Figure 9). The function of this building is unknown; however, it is hypothesised that it may be a series of terrace houses. Whilst the site address is currently 766 Elizabeth Street and the Smith Ward Rate Books refer to the site as Elizabeth Street, in the historical mapping this location is marked as 44, 48 and 50 Sydney Road, and the Sands and McDougall Directories refer to it as Sydney Road until the 1930s and thereafter as Elizabeth Street. The first identified Sands and McDougall’s Directory listing for the site is in 1875 for the New Market Hotel, run by Thomas Heney (Sands and McDougall’s Melbourne Directory 1875, pg. 113). By 1880 the hotel has been renamed the Family Hotel, run by R.W. Carson (Sands and McDougall’s Melbourne Directory 1880, pg. 82). 1885 is the first identified reference to the Harvest Home Hotel, a name which is maintained until the mid 20th century (Sands and McDougall’s Melbourne Directory 1885, pg. 109). 1885 is also the first identified reference to the adjacent terrace houses at 46-48 and 50 Sydney Road (Table 1). Table 1 summarises the known occupants of the site. In 1893 Harvest Home Hotel was burgled on 31 January by breaking the parlour window. Tobacco, cigars and pair of field glasses and other articles to the value of £7 were stolen (The Argus, 1893, p.6). The 1894 MMBW plan (Figure 10) depicts a large brick building at 44 Sydney Road, which is marked as the Harvest Home Hotel in the 1896 MMBW plan (Figure 11). Two smaller brick terraces are adjacent to the north at 48 and 50 Sydney Road with small adjacent outbuildings for cesspits in their rear yards. The timber outbuildings for the hotel are located behind the yards of the terrace buildings. The 1896 MMBW plan depicts the two terrace houses at 48 and 50 Sydney Road (Figure 11). There are verandahs at the rear of each of the terrace houses, with kitchen sinks, steps and cesspits marked in their immediate yards. The Harvest Home Hotel is depicted as a large rectangular building with a relatively large square-shaped cellar and adjoining well present at the western end of the building. The rear yard of the hotel complex extends behind the yards of the terrace houses and features two cesspits, a urinal, a bin, a chicken coop, a copper, horse stalls and a “loose box”. Table 1 demonstrates that ownership and/or the licensee changes regularly for the Harvest Home Hotel throughout the 19th century. It is notable that of the 20 licensees identified for the hotel, at least seven are women. Records of mortgages against the Harvest Home Hotel taken in the late 19th century describe the double-storey property including a bar, bar parlour, billiard room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, yard and up to 10 bedrooms (VPRS 8350/P0002). By the end of the 19th century the furniture and other goods listed in the mortgage paperwork are regularly described as old and/or broken and it seems the hotel had fallen into some disrepair (VPRS 8350/P0002). Newspapers from the early 20th century note several long-term boarders at the Harvest Home Hotel, including Donald Ross, who subsequently moved to 205 Berkeley Street (see the site card submitted for the Haymarket Street North Precinct) (The Argus, 1910, p.9). By 1945 the Sands and McDougall’s Directories list the site at the address 766-772 Elizabeth Street (Sands and McDougall’s Directory, 1945, p.19), demonstrating that the hotel had expanded to include the two neighbouring terrace houses. This is evident in the 1945 aerial image (Figure 16), in which the formerly delineated rear yards of the terraces have been merged with the yard of the hotel. Overall, there appear to be fewer structures in the yard than those depicted in the 1896 MMBW plan and it is possible the outbuildings of the cesspits associated with the terraces have been removed. The hotel was renamed the Mayfair Hotel between 1945 and 1949 (The Herald 1949, p.7). The Hotel Mayfair is depicted in photographs taken between 1954 and 1969 (Figures 17-19). These photographs demonstrate that the terrace houses are double-storey, and that a new art deco facade fronting onto Elizabeth Street, including a “tower” on the south side of the facade has been added. This tower was likely added when the hotel transitioned from the Harvest Home Hotel to the Hotel Mayfair, as the tower is not evident in the 1945 capture. The Hotel Mayfair was demolished in the early 1970s, followed by the construction of the extant multi-storey office building evident in the 1975 aerial image (Figure 20).HARVEST HOME HOTEL - Interpretation of Site
The Harvest Home Hotel site comprised the hotel and two terrace houses. The hotel (originally named the New Market Hotel) was constructed in the early-mid 1870s. The construction date of the terrace houses has not been confirmed; however, they were present by at least 1885. Whilst ownership/management of the hotel changed frequently, the function of the hotel (providing drinks, meals and long and short-term accommodation) remained consistent for nearly a century, through to the late 1960s. The terrace houses had a residential function through to the 1930s. During this time 48 Sydney Road was regularly recorded as vacant, however it is possible that Peter Farrelly and Malachai Farrell were related, representing a familial occupation of the 50 Sydney Road from 1885 through to at least 1900. From the 1930s through to the mid 1940s, 48-50 Sydney Road had an industrial function rather than purely residential. The buildings were occupied by Sphinx Manufacturing Company Pty ltd, an electro-plated goods manufacturer and importer during this time. The hotel was extended to incorporate the two terrace houses in the mid 1940s. The hotel continued to operate across the entire site through to the late 1960s, when all the structures were demolished for the construction of the multi-storey office building which is extant today. The key functions represented by the site are residential, commercial/hospitality and industrial. As such the site is associated with several of the themes presented in Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes, specifically theme 5: Building Victoria’s industries and workforce, theme 6: Building towns, cities and the garden state and theme 8: Building community life. A significant cut at the rear (east) end of the site was required for the construction of the office building. A comparison was undertaken between the surface levels recorded in the 1896 MMBW plan and the modern-day levels of the foundation slab to help inform the assessment of archaeological potential across the site. In order to do this the surface levels in the 1896 MMBW plan were first converted from feet to meters, and then adjusted to account for the difference between the MMBW datum point and the Australian Height Datum (AHD) as per Hil 2022 p.162. The modern surface level of the ground floor slab of the office building is ~32.35 mAHD throughout the building, with the exception of the small area surrounding the front door in the lobby, (see the current description of the site) which is ~32.04 mAHD. The 1896 MMBW plan indicates the levels at the western end (Elizabeth Street) of the site were between ~31.929 and ~31.862 mAHD (with the higher point at the southern side of the site). Furthermore, a cellar (including a well) located at the western end of 44 Sydney Road had an interior surface level of ~30.018 mAHD. As such the present surface levels are higher than the historical surface levels by between ~0.111 - ~0.488 mAHD. Whilst the depth of the slab and foundations of the modern office building then have to be taken into consideration (these are currently unknown), it is moderately likely that archaeological evidence of the foundations and possible subfloor deposits of the former Harvest Home Hotel and adjacent terrace houses are present at the western end of the site. Further, it is highly likely that evidence of the cellar and well are present within the site . Historically, the eastern end of the site was a higher elevation than the western end. Whilst the MMBW plan does not provide any surface levels for rear yard of the hotel, the surface level of the adjacent property was ~33.07 mAHD. The current slab level is ~0.72 mAHD below this, before taking into consideration the depth of the modern slab and foundations. It is therefore unlikely that building foundations or sub-floor deposits associated with the terrace houses or the hotel are present at the eastern end of the site. However, it is also unlikely that during the demolition of the hotel in the late 1960s and early 70s that evidence of the former cesspits and associated deposits were fully cleared from the site. Cesspits may extend over 2 m below the historical surface level; as such the locations of the former cesspits have been assessed to have high archaeological potential (Figure 22). It is also possible that other cesspits remain within the site which predate the 1896 MMBW plan. Whilst the location of these cesspits is unable to be pinpointed in an archaeological sensitivity plan; where present, these features may have a high archaeological integrity.
Heritage Inventory Description
HARVEST HOME HOTEL - Heritage Inventory Description
The Harvest Home Hotel site is currently occupied by a multi-storey office building at 766 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. The office building was constructed in the early-mid 1970s. The proposed site extent is depicted in Figure 1. Prior to the construction of the office building the site was on a slope, with the highest point at the east end, sloping down towards Elizabeth Street in the west. The pre-formed concrete structure (Figure 2) has a single pedestrian entrance onto Elizabeth Street. Whilst the doorway is at street level, immediately inside the door, steps and a ramp lead up to the ground floor slab level (Figure 3), which is approximately 350mm above the Elizabeth Street footpath level. The building previously functioned as an office, with meeting rooms, offices, kitchen, bathrooms etc. The interior has been partially stripped (including removal of asbestos) in preparation for the demolition of the building. Ground surfaces comprise a mixture of tile, carpet and bare concrete slab (exposed by the building stripping) (Figures 4 and 5). The slab has been cut into the slope towards the east, with the ground floor of the centre of the building approximately 300mm below the exterior ground surface level (Figures 6 and 7). The cut continues to deepen towards the rear of the building where it joins with the double-storey carpark through to Berkeley Street (see site card submitted for Haymarket Street North Precinct). There is a bank of lifts on the northern wall of the building, at the approximate centre. The lift shaft has likely been excavated several metres deeper than current floor level.
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