 |
| sydney home |
| sydney site map |
|
part of the essential architecture network |
 |
| Simon Fieldhouse galleries |
 |
| Top Ten Sydney Architecture |
| Sydney Architecture
Images- The Rocks and the
Quay The Mercantile Hotel |
|
|
architect |
Spain and Cosh |
|
location |
25-27 George Street North |
|
date |
1914 |
|
style |
restrained Federation Free Style |
|
construction |
brick |
|
type |
Pub |
|
|
| Click images for larger versions. | |
  
|
|
  
|
|
  
|
|
 
|
|
| The Mercantile Hotel and site are of State heritage significance for their historical and scientific cultural values. The site and building are also of State heritage significance for their contribution to The Rocks area which is of State Heritage significance in its own right (see item no. 4500458). The Mercantile Hotel has local historical significance as one of the more intact survivors of The Rocks rich lode of late 19th and early 20th century Pubs, having operated continuously since its opening in 1914 and retaining much of its original character, fabrics and functions. It is also the first and only major building to occupy this key site within The Rocks, the dramatic stone-walled excavation line along the west boundary providing a vivid reminder of the original physical character of both site and The Rocks as a whole. The Hotel has significant associations with the early maritime and mercantile activity in The Rocks through its location close to key early wharves and warehouses, its provision of public house services to local workers and their families and its origins as replacement for the original Mercantile Rowing Club Hotel following this building's demolition in 1914. The Hotel is a simply but competently detailed example of the early 20th century work of the leading Sydney architectural practice of Spain and Cosh, providing a typical and relatively intact example of the work of this respected if conservative commercial firm, and their public hotel work in particular. It also has associations with Tooth & Co. Ltd, one of NSW's most important early brewing companies, and more generally with the practice of tied hotels under which the licensee operated until 1976. Aesthetically, the building is of regional significance as an interesting, if somewhat restrained, example of Federation Free Style architecture, with its competently handled forms and massing enriched by the decorative detailing of its tiled dado, etched glass to the main doors, awning supports and parapet balustrade. The building also retains important components of its original internal fabric and layout which contribute to its role as an exemplar of its particular style, period and architectural designers. It is also a notable and well-mannered component of an important historic streetscape, well sited and appropriately exploits its role in key streetscape views, particularly from the north towards its exposed wedge-shaped end. The Hotel's fabric and layout, though somewhat modified, has the potential to provide information on the layout and operation of early 20th century public hotels, including facilities and fitout. Its construction and finishes also have the potential to provide information on early 20th century building techniques (including the use of steel framing, finishes and detailing of flat roofs, provision of hydraulic and sanitary services, etc). Socially, the Hotel is of importance to its regular clientele as "their local pub", its location, character and continuity of service making it a recognisable fixture in the local area. Its more recent use as a venue for Irish music has also established a wider and more specifically focused local identity and this is reflected in the memorabilia of featured guest artists on display in the Bar. The Mercantile Hotel adds to the historic, aesthetic and social richness of The Rocks Conservation Area which is of both local and national heritage significance. (Somerville 1999: 66-67) | |
| In its pristine state the site had a sharply angled rock wall snaking through it which prevented its early development. In 1834 it formed part of a land grant to Robert Campbell. It was then sold in 1848 to William Reilly. In 1872 it was partially levelled and then used intermittently as a store for timber, coal, leather goods or marble (either in sheds or open air) along with a series of small stables. Around 1900 the rough rock face was straightened and the present stone wall supporting Gloucester Street (now Gloucester Walk) was built. In 1907 the land was compulsorily resumed from the Eady Estate under the NSW Government resumption of The Rocks. The site remained disused until 1912, when a marble yard operated, until the construction of the Mercantile Hotel in 1914. The Mercantile Rowing Club Hotel had been built in 1878 at the George Street end of Gloucester Street, 200m from the present Mercantile Hotel, which was directly related to the Mercantile Rowing Club boathouse nearby. The Club had to vacate its boathouse site in 1910, and the club re-formed itself as the Mosman Rowers Club relocating to Mosmans Bay. James Dwyer, the licensee of the Mercantile Rowing Club Hotel since 1898, surrendered the licence in 1914 and moved to the newly completed Mercantile Hotel. The building of this hotel was part of the expansionism of the major brewing firm, Tooth & Co. Ltd., whose architects were the well known Sydney firm of Spain and Cosh. The Mercantile Hotel at 25 George Street has continued its use as a hotel to the present day, with little change to its external fabric but with some ground floor rearrangement of the public spaces, and some updating of the accommodation of the upper floors (see Modification Dates field). The shop at 27 George Street was conceived from the outset as separate premises, used on the ground floor variously as a light refreshment room, a mixed business and café. From 1963-1989 Marine Specimens Pty Ltd ran a Shell Shop, providing a library and reading area on the first floor from 1968 and a meeting place for the Malacological Society. In 1989 No 27 was incorporated into the lease of the Mercantile Hotel, and the renovation in 1989-90 allowed the upper floor rooms to provide additional bedrooms for the hotel, and further work connected to the ground floor rooms of the shop and hotel in 1993. (Somerville 1999: 4-15) A DA was approved on 5 August, 1999 for work to the ground floor of the former shop, and the construction of a new cool room. [Archaeological History - Photograph taken in c1900 shows stone retaining wall to Gloucester St and a stable. Mercantile Hotel built in 1915.] | |
|
New lease of life for the Mercantile Hotel
Walking into the Mercantile Hotel, you get a sense of history, or what in conservation circles, is called “patina”. It is a sense of age, a lingering impression of a seasoned vintage buried in the walls. This “patina” is an element the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority tried to preserve when recently upgrading the Mercantile Hotel at 25 George Street at a cost of $665,000. The bar at the three-storey hotel was upgraded with original décor intact, including the rare art nouveau tiles, joinery, timber, pressed metal ceiling, frosted etched glass on the doors and pressed glass on the windows, the marble steps, cornice, balustrade, floor and plumbing. “It’s a good example of the care the Foreshore Authority takes in maintaining a building of such historical significance,” said Fleur Mellor, Heritage Architect with the Foreshore Authority. |
|
|
25 George Street The Rocks, NSW 2000 Tel: (02) 9247-3570 Fax: (02)9247-7047 Email: merc@tpg.com.au |
|
|
|
www.sydneyarchitecture.com |
|
links |
http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/E/V/SYDNE/0017/14/67/1.html |