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Produced and published by the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
Published July 2008
Published July 2008
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This landmark hotel reflects St Kilda's parabolic fortunes. Originally the Terminus Hotel in 1857, it achieved fame as a sprawling seaside resort hotel when owned by two generations of the Wimpole family (1870-1958). Patrons enjoyed the hotel's conservative respectability and fine dining room, but reliability became atrophy, and by mid-century it was a genteel anachronism. In the 1960s the hotel caught up with changing St Kilda, presenting strip-shows like 'Getcha Gearoff'. Its Crystal Ballroom became the home of punk and rock music and culture in Melbourne during the late 1970s, featuring bands like The Boys Next Door, Hunters and Collectors and INXS. The hotel's reputation had collapsed by the mid-1980s. It lost its licence in 1987 and became a derelict squat. In 1991 the new owner, Donlevy Fitzpatrick, transformed the building into a chic complex of apartments, bars, restaurants, art gallery and cinema, perfectly accommodating gentrified St Kilda.