Building Database

Elephant and Wheelbarrow: 169 Fitzroy Street, ST KILDA

Image ©
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'Australia/Melbourne' for 'AEST/10.0/no DST' instead in /home/walkingm/public_html/building_profile.php on line 183
2017 Walking Melbourne
Click for full size

Building Profile

Name : Elephant and Wheelbarrow
Past Names : Ritz Hotel

Location

Address: 169 Fitzroy Street
City: ST KILDA

Postcode: 3182

Construction Details

Built: ~1920
Original use: Club/Hotel/Coffee Palace
Current use: Club/Hotel/Coffee Palace

number of floors : 3

Built in the Interwar period in the Eclectic style

Notable features

Faceted and arch windowed composition with steep terracotta roof and stained glass windows. Detailed even without its once prominent twin tourelles

History

The Ritz was once one of St Kilda's seedier hotels.

It lost its decorative twin spires in the 1950s.

From the 1960s it was the home of prostitution in the red light district.

It hosted Melbourne's first drag show in 1970.

The hotel became a backpackers in the 1980s and a Elephant and the Wheelbarrow hotel.

Architect:

Did you find what you were looking for ?
Discuss Elephant and Wheelbarrow in the Walking Melbourne Forum