Hotel Windsor to Close in 2018 (?)

[Shangas]

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/windsor-hotel-to-close-tower-plans-dumped-20150710-gi9i6v.html

Opened in 1883, The Hotel Windsor is Australia's (and Melbourne's) last great Victorian grand hotel. It's been around so long, it's actually older than a lot of other, far more famous hotels, including Raffles in Singapore, The Ritz in London, and the Plaza in New York.

Due to plans for the hotel's future falling through, it's believed that it'll be closing by 2018.

The end of an era.

[video=youtube;81Gu-QMxbc0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Gu-QMxbc0[/video]

 

[1930artdeco]

What no 'national historic' places registry?

Mike

 

[Shangas]

I think there is, but that doesn't mean it'll be saved. Not sure what'll happen to it, really. As far as hotels go, it's pretty small, I think, so it really struggles to keep going. I mean compared with other hotels of the same generation...

It has one bar, one restaurant, a ballroom, about 200 rooms of various types...and that's about it.

Considering that Melbourne has very few REAL historical buildings to speak of, it'd be a shame if this one went. Especially since it is the last one of its kind left in the country. I guess old-world colonial charm isn't enough to save it. Who knows...

 

[Talbot]

Lots of murky politics behind this one unfortunately.

Sham public consultations, refusal to allow developers extra time to finish works etc.

A very nice hotel, but get a room on the outside, away from the central airshaft.

 

[Fading Fast]

National Registry, Historical Preservation or what have you - NYC would have lost a tremendous number of buildings like your beautiful Hotel Windsor without those law / rules / organizations. What's funny is that some of the saved building have since become very valuable again as the general public seems to appreciate these old beauties more now than they did twenty and thirty years ago. I wish you the best of luck - it would be a shame to see that one go.

 

[Scottbrad94]

Oh my goodness this breaks my heart! Where on earth will they film Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries haha. Hopefully the people of Victoria get behind this and manage to save it. If the people of Sydney can manage to petition to save this god awful 'Mechano Set' intersection structure merely over sentimental value,

then I am certain people will save a beautiful and important piece of our cultural history! I would be very upset to see this go. Although these buildings do cost a lot of money on upkeep and restoration it is well worth the cost. I have confidence though, they did have plans at one point to destroy Sydney's QVB but people got upset over that too. Melbourne has managed to retain a lot of it's cultural heritage unlike Sydney, which is now markedly devoid of character as a result of mass demolition in the 60s.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Melbourne has managed to retain a lot of it's cultural heritage unlike Sydney, which is now markedly devoid of character as a result of mass demolition in the 60s.

As someone who just went through NYC Penn Station yesterday - the site of possibly the must horrific murder of unbelievably impressive and gorgeous pre-WWII architecture - I appreciate your comment about the '60s being an sad decade for classic architecture.

Every single time I go threw Penn station, I lament its loss and can't believe the horrific '60s rabbit warren that replaced it. While NYC still has Grand Central Station (a stunning piece of architecture), that it killed Penn is heartbreaking as Penn was meaningfully larger (my unofficial estimate is twice the size of Grand Central) and must have been awe-inspiring to see.

Best of luck with the Hotel Windsor as I'm rooting for you. And while I can understand the intersection structure (there's a Citgo gas sign in Boston - the company has been out of business for decades - that is still there and is still lighted for similar sentimental reasons), the Hotel is an even bigger treasure to keep.