Federal Hotel, Fremantle

The Federal Hotel is located at 23-25 William Street in Fremantle, Western Australia, opposite the Fremantle Town Hall.

Federal Hotel
Alternative namesRosie O'Grady's
General information
Architectural styleVictorian Free Classical
Address23-25 William Street
Town or cityFremantle
Coordinates32.0548°S 115.7479°E / -32.0548; 115.7479
OpenedJuly 1887
Renovated1904, 1995, 2016
ClientJames Herbert Jnr
OwnerNikola Jurin
Technical details
Floor count3
Design and construction
ArchitectGeorge Charles Inskip
Main contractorJordine and Ruthven
Renovating team
ArchitectJ. H. Eales (1904)
Maxwell Cox Architects (1995)
Website
http://www.federalhotelfreo.com.au/

The three-storey hotel was designed by George Charles Inskip (1840-1931) and built by Jordine and Ruthven for James Herbert Junior (1841-1893).[1][2] Herbert was the proprietor of the Rockingham Arms and the Freemasons Hotel.[3] Inskip was a Melbourne based architect, who came to Western Australia in 1879 to superintend work on Edmund Blacket’s design for St George's Cathedral, Perth. Inskip subsequently was commissioned to design a new Union Bank in Albany in 1884. Inskip also designed the Union Bank buildings in Perth, Fremantle, Roebourne and Geraldton.[4] At the time it was built, the Federal was described in the press as being “far in advance of anything so far erected in Western Australia and equal to the best in the sister colonies”.

In August 1888 Herbert filed for bankruptcy and the receivers subsequently arranged for the property to be transferred to Alexander Forrest and Sir John Forrest.[5] In 1904, local architect, Joseph Herbert Eales (1864-1957) was responsible for extensive additions to the Federal Hotel,[6][7] including the front verandahs and the western wing, which extends towards the rear of the premises.

On 8 February 1927 the hotel was the scene of a double murder, when Lillian Josephine Martin and her four-year-old son Daniel Charles were found dead in an upstairs bedroom of the building.[8] Martin, her son and Jack Thomas had booked into the hotel under the name of Mr and Mrs Martin on 7 February. Thomas left the hotel at 7:30 am the following day and the bodies of Martin and her son were discovered at 11:00 am by a house maid. Martin had been strangled and her son's throat had been cut. An extensive search was then undertaken by the police for Thomas, whose body was later found near the Mends Street Jetty in South Perth on 13 February. The coroner subsequently concluded that Thomas had committed both murders and then committed suicide by shooting himself with a revolver.[9]

In 1989 the hotel was renamed to Rosie O'Grady's, an Irish themed pub. In 1995 the building underwent internal alterations, reconstruction of the two-storey front verandah and repainting of the front façade, with the works being carried out by Maxwell Cox Architects. Further internal changes were made in 2001.

In January 2016 Rosie O'Grady's closed for business[10] and the hotel was re-opened as the Federal Hotel.[11]

Heritage listings

On 21 October 1980 the building was included on the Register of the National Estate and 1 August 1983 it was classified by the National Trust of Australia (WA).

The City of Fremantle included it on their Municipal Inventory on 18 September 2000 and on their Heritage List on 8 March 2007.

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References
  1. "The Federal Hotel". The Daily News. V (2003). Western Australia. 8 July 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "The Federal Hotel". Western Mail. 2 (82). Western Australia. 9 July 1887. p. 20. Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "News and Notes". The Inquirer & Commercial News. LIII (2, 954). Western Australia. 8 December 1893. p. 12. Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. John Taylor (February 2014). "Thomas Whitney" (PDF). Australian Institute of Architects. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  5. "Supreme Court - In Bankruptcy". The Daily News. IX (2907). Western Australia. 22 November 1890. p. 1 (Supplement). Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Battye, J.S. (1912). Joseph Herbert Eales (PDF). Cyclopedia of Western Australia. 1. Hussey & Gillingham. p. 637.
  7. "News and Notes". Western Mail. 1 (138). Western Australia. 9 June 1904. p. 2 (Second Edition). Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "Horrible Crime at Fremantle". The Daily News. XLVI (16, 157). Western Australia. 8 February 1927. p. 1 (Home (Final) Edition). Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Fremantle Tragedy". The West Australian. XLIII (7, 722). Western Australia. 2 March 1927. p. 10. Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. McNeill, Heather (3 January 2016). "Famous Fremantle pub Rosie O'Grady's closing its doors for good". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  11. Emery, Kate (30 April 2016). "Publicans call time on pints". The West Australian. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
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