Vacant heritage office to become deluxe hotel
The historic West Block buildings in Canberra will be restored and repurposed into a new luxury hotel, following Geocon’s $6.25 million acquisition of the site from the Commonwealth Government.
In April, Finance minister Mathias Cormann confirmed that West Block, alongside the National Archives’ home at East Block, would be sold. Speaking at the time, Cormann said private investment would support “urban renewal and revitalisation of heritage buildings”.
The Property Council was supportive of the move, with Adina Cirson, executive director in the ACT, praising the opportunity to “renew and revitalise” an under-appreciated piece of the city’s heritage.
Designed by architect John Smith Murdoch, West Block was one of the earliest buildings erected in the Parliamentary Triangle and is considered a fine examples of federal capital architecture.
Opening its doors for government use in 1927, West Block was at various times home to the National Library of Australia, the Crown Solicitor’s office and the Australian Electoral Commission.
Part of the site, known as The Dugout, was a World War II bomb shelter. It also contained a decoding machine that relayed top secret cables between prime ministers John Curtin and Winston Churchill.
Currently sitting vacant, West Block’s metamorphosis into a hotel will celebrate the heritage aspects of the site, and “for the first time will open up these historic structures to the public”, says Geocon’s managing director Nick Georgalis.
Geocon, which owns and operates the Abode Group of hotels, has experience repurposing government offices into hotels. It has previously revived Juliana House, a 1970s government office block in Woden, achieving Australia’s first Green Star rating for a hotel in 2016.
Architect Fender Katsalidis, the creative powerhouse behind Hobart’s MONA and Canberra’s NewActon precinct, will design the new hotel. Fender Katsalidis also converted the former Acton House, also designed by John Smith Murdoch, into the Peppers Gallery Hotel in the ACT.
Georgalis says his team takes its responsibility “very seriously”.
“We want Australians – the original owners of this property – to have maximum opportunity to enjoy its history and significance, as they are able to do with the re-purposed Old Parliament House.”
Earlier this month, Geocon announced its intention to develop a deluxe hotel in Canberra’s CBD, following the purchase of the Garema Centre site at 70 Bunda Street. This project is also being designed by Fender Katsalidis.
Georgalis says the new offerings will deliver an “unprecedented level of luxury to the hotel market in Canberra, and help meet the demand for top-end accommodation, particularly catering for the increasing number of international travellers”.