Exchange Hotel, Kalgoorlie

Historic hotel building in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

For other hotels named Exchange Hotel, see Exchange Hotel.

30°44′46″S 121°28′29″E / 30.7460°S 121.4747°E / -30.7460; 121.4747Design and constructionArchitecture firmHawkins and SpriggsTypeState Registered PlaceDesignated10 January 2017Reference no.1289

The Exchange Hotel is a historic landmark hotel in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

Location

The hotel is located on the corner of Hannan Street and Maritana Street in Kalgoorlie.[1][2][3] It stands next door to the building of the Kalgoorlie Miner, the goldfields newspaper, and opposite the Palace Hotel.[2]

History

Exchange Hotel on Maritana Street

The hotel was built in 1900 for the Wilkie Brothers, contractors for the Southern Cross-Kalgoorlie railway line.[1] They hired the construction team Shaw and Harcorn, and the architectural team Hawkins and Spriggs.[1] It has two storeys and it made up of bricks, iron and a timber balustrade.[1] It has a corner tower and corrugated galvanised iron gabled roof.[1]

During the race riots of 1934, the hotel was purchased by Bill Trythall from the former owner, who had a foreign-sounding name.[1] As a result, the building was saved from damage.[1]

In 2011, it went into receivership as a result of declining clientele.[4] In January 2013, it was purchased by a new owner.[5] Their use of "skimpies", i.e. topless waitresses, is good for tourism.[6]

Heritage value

The hotel has been listed on the State Heritage Register since 1997.[1]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Exchange Hotel, Kalgoorlie.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Register of Historic Places. (Number: 01289) Exchange Hotel Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b Susie Ashworth, Rebecca Turner, Simone Egger, Western Australia, Lonely Planet, 2004, p. 147
  3. ^ Austral Stores (1900), Intersection of Hannan and Maritana Streets, Kalgoorlie Series F, retrieved 19 May 2014
  4. ^ Aleisha Orr, 'Overpriced' Kalgoorlie watering hole bites the dust, The West Australian, 20 September 2011
  5. ^ Chris Thomson, ‘Skimpy barmaids good for tourism’, One Perth, 2 October 2013
  6. ^ Dale Granger, Kalgoorlie: Skimpies feeling pinch in mining downturn, Perth Now, 7 August 2013