Archive for December, 2007

All that remains is the shell of what was once St Kilda's Newmarket Hotel

St Kilda’s Newmarket Hotel at 34 Inkerman Street has been demolished.

The 1920s pub was most recently used between 2003 and 2007 as a cabaret and drag venue, however it was sold and then closed.

It was recently completely gutted leaving just a shell with parts of the street facade and the front half of its terracotta roof remaining possibly for some future speculative development. The old hotel is adjacent to a City of Port Phillip urban renewal district formerly a mix of industrial buildings now slated for high density apartment development.

With its central gable and red brick style and casement windows it is similar to many St Kilda buildings of the era, including Langham apartments at 95 Grey Street, 64 Acland Street commercial premises and the heritage registered bungalow Belmont Flats on Alma Road. The old hotel facade also features brickwork emulating quoining and asymmetrical flat arched windows and door at the base level.

The Stork Hotel in Elizabeth Street near the Vic Markets was first built in 1854, making it one of Melbourne’s oldest and most historic hotels.

Developers have applied for a demolition permit which has been granted to replace the hotel with hi-rise apartments and it is only a matter of time before Melbourne loses yet another heritage pub.

The Stork was remodelled in the 1920s with a distinctly art deco design featuring vivid colours and a stork gargoyle.

For many years it was a backpackers pub, but also a prominent performing arts venue.

It is sad that the building could not be incorporated into the design of the apartment building in an area which is losing its charm by the day.

I read an interesting report in the Herald Sun about the drought and its effects on heritage buildings, particularly the inner Melbourne terraced homes.

Here is an excerpt:

MELBOURNE’S homes are cracking up and the problem will become worse next year.

Inner-city suburbs are being hardest hit as soil continues to dry out because of the prolonged drought, placing further strain on buildings, a new study has revealed.

Carlton North tops the list of the 10 worst suburbs with 75 per cent of homes inspected showing damage caused by cracks, followed by Fitzroy, Carlton, Collingwood and Fitzroy North.

And regional Victoria is not immune — Albury is second with 70 per cent of homes inspected damaged by cracks.

Inspections of almost 58,000 homes in 214 localities found the most dangerous cracks appeared around doors and windows, or diagonally along the wall, which indicated a weakness in the walls from serious stress.

Leading architectural body Archicentre yesterday advised home owners not to panic and urged close monitoring of the cracks so they don’t affect the structural integrity of the building.

Archicentre boss David Hallett said home owners should get an independent professional opinion before committing thousands of dollars to expensive repairs that may not be warranted.

He said an independent assessment would reveal whether under-pinning or other building work needed to be carried out.

Real estate agents agree homes in older suburbs with clay soil are subject to more cracking but claim the damage is not as bad as it seems.

Carlton’s Hocking Stuart director Scott McElroy said there were certainly more cracks in these areas because there was more clay and more terraces built at the turn of the 20th century than anywhere else.

“A lot of the homes share walls and foundations and when one is being renovated cracks will often appear in others,” he said.

The cracks have not stopped soaring sales.

One such home is the newly listed run-down double-storey terrace, still in its original condition, at 54 Pigdon St, Carlton North, which has been occupied by squatters.

“There’s a constant demand for inner city real estate,” said Mr McElroy.

“I think a lot of people are accepting of these houses that are 100 years old that might have a few cracks.

“Considering their age they are in incredible condition and have stood the test of time.”

Mr McElroy said houses often developed cracks because owners ignored property maintenance.

Archicentre said the recent United Nations’ climate change report, which is forecasting an environmental disaster, was a clear signal for property owners to conduct regular maintenance checks.

A recent Archicentre poll of 1425 people found only 32 per cent had a regular maintenance plan for their home and 40 per cent had no plan whatsoever.

Mr Hallet said the lack of a maintenance schedule could prove costly for the home owner if major structural damage occurred.

And a link to the full article