Fortune of War Hotel

Statement of Significance

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Description

Assessed significance: State

Item type: Built

Current use: Pub / Hotel

Former use: Pub / Hotel

Group: Commercial

Category: Hotel

Designer/Maker:

Builder/Maker: H.J. & H.W Thompson

Construction Years: 1922 - 1922

Physical Description: The Fortune of War Hotel is a 3 storey face brick building with stucco detailing, of which much remains. It shows the Californian Bungalow style as applied to a commercial hotel building. (Clive Lucas Stapleton 1999: 59)Storeys: 3 and attic; Facade: Brick walls; Roof Cladding: Corrugated iron; Floor Frame: TimberThere appears to be no above ground evidence of the original building on the site. The existing building (built by 1922) is relatively intact. The building has three levels to George Street and a modern rear addition, built in a traditional style. The building has a central recessed balcony on the first floor and a parapet wall to the street. There is an awning over the footpath, typical of those along George Street. Externally, to George Street, original wall tiles, face brickwork, rendered trim, and terrazzo thresholds remain intact. Timber doors and windows appear in good condition. Internally, the general layout of public areas appears original, including features such as wall tiles, ceilings, central bar and other joinery. The original stair to upper level bedrooms remains, but is blocked off. The rear area is a half level above the George Street ground floor level.

Property Description

Address

Historic Notes and Themes

Historical notes: To the Cadigal people of Sydney, the western shoreline of Sydney Cove (known to them as Warrane) was called Tallawolladah. The Cadigal lands ranged from Darling Harbour in the west to the Heads in the east, and also included Manly. No evidence of indigenous occupation is evident in the immediate vicinity of 137-143a George Street due to development and building from 1788.With the arrival of the First Fleet, an area roughly bounded by George, Argyle, Harrington and Globe streets was set aside for the establishment of the colony's hospital. The hospital opened in February 1788 under the care of surgeon John White and it operated until 1816 when it was relocated to Macquarie Street. With the outbreak of smallpox among the indigenous peoples in 1789-90 many came or were brought to the hospital. The boy Nanbaree was brought with his dying grandfather here, after which the orphaned child was cared for by the surgeon John White and lived nearby on the site of what is now the Orient Hotel.In 1790 a portable hospital building, shipped out from England with the Second Fleet, was erected. It took approximately one week to construct and was completed by 7 July. Over time, the hospital became a substantial edifice comprising ward blocks, stores, dispensary and, to the north, the residences of the principal and assistant surgeons.In 1797, High (George) Street was realigned. The realignment required the portable hospital to be dismantled and re-erected on a stone foundation slightly west of its original location. A store and dispensary were then erected to the north and west of the hospital buildings. In 1816 the new Sydney Hospital opened in Macquarie Street and the old hospital closed.Harper's plan of 1823 clearly shows the portable hospital, and a building of similar proportions existed on the site until 1880. Two photographs taken in this period (in 1871 and 1879) show the roof of this building and indicate it is not inconsistent with the early paintings of the hospital.The site of the Fortune of War was formalised in the survey of the township carried out in the early 1830s, the site was classified as Lot 7 of City Section 84, comprising an area of 1 rod 15 perches. In January 1841 the allotment was officially granted to the trustees, executrix and executors of the estate of the emancipist Samuel Terry, these being Rosetta Terry (widow), John Terry Hughes (nephew and son-in-law), Tom White Melville Winder of Windermere (family friend and long standing business acquaintance) and James Norton (solicitor).Terry's interest in the site seems to date from at least c1823 when an area of '26 rods' situated on the 'west side of George St' was leased to Terry for the term of 21 years. Terry arrived in Sydney in 1801 on a seven year sentence convicted of theft. He was eventually described as the 'Botany Bay Rothschild' and at his death in 1838 left a personal estate of ?250 000, an annual rental income from his Sydney properties of ?10 000 and 'land and property which defies assessment'. Terry's business interests included brewing and he was occasionally a publican.On the site of the Fortune of War, Terry constructed a terrace of three buildings (today's 139-143 George St) completed in the 1820s. The footprint of this building is plotted on Hoddle, Larmer and Mitchell's 'Map of Town of Sydney' of 1831 and on the Robert Russell survey of 1834. The building was constructed as a Public House known as 'The Fortune of War'. The first recorded licensee of the public house was William Foreman in 1823 for the sale of wines, malt and liquor. This information came to light after the Conservation Management Plan for the building was prepared.From 1833 the publican of the Fortune of War was Walter Nottingham Palmer, where he remained until 1839 when he took over the licence of the New York Tavern, also on George St. In 1844 the lease of the Fortune of War was renewed by Robert White Moore, although he had held the licence from 1842. The Sydney Municipal Council Rate Books of 1845 described the public house as being built of stone walls and shingled roof with three storeys and ten rooms 'with every convenience'. The lease was again renewed in 1851 for a further seven years. During this period Moore held a late-night (midnight) licence.In 1861 Moore acquired the freehold ownership of the property through a purchase from Thomas Smart. Smarts interest in the property originated from a mortgage taken out in 1851 and the partition of the Terry Estate made in 1860. Robert White Moore continued to hold the licence for the hotel up until the time of his death in 1870 when it passed to his relatives. Thomas Moore held it for the 1870 and 1880s and his nephew Benjamin Robert Moore for the 1890s. The Bubonic plague broke out on the waterfront in January 1900, prompting the Government to resume the entire Rocks and Millers Point area. Large scale demolitions followed and the area was administered by the Sydney Harbour Trust, then the Maritime Services Board and in 1970 The Rocks was handed to the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority.The Fortune of War continued to trade until 1920 when Tooth & Co Ltd entered into a head-lease with the Sydney Harbour Trust for 45 years. Shortly after this the 19th century building was demolished and the extant hotel constructed. The first month of trading in the new building was in December 1921. In March 1976 Tooth & Co relinquished their head lease to the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority. Since that date leases have been granted to the following publicans:1978-1987 John Walker Hook1987-present (2013) Robert John Keyes.Keyes was also one of the lessees of the Russell Hotel at 143 George St and the operation of the two properties merged around 2009. The Fortune of War Hotel with its longstanding licence and retention of original bar and fittings contributes to The Rocks as a unique historic neighbourhood.

Historical significance: The site of the Russell Hotel/Fortune of War group is important in the history of NSW as having associations with the early development of Sydney since 1788, and earlier with the Cadigal people of Sydney Harbour. To the Cadigal the site formed part of a strip of land along the western shore of Warrane (Sydney Cove) which they called "Tallawolladah". The fact that this area was named denotes it as a special or particular place for the indigenous peoples of Sydney Harbour before the coming of the Europeans.The site is associated with George Street, which is the first road created in the settlement and thus the oldest road in NSW. The history of George Street with its uses and changes since 1788, illustrate and inform the aspirations and way of life of Europeans in Australia.The site of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group formed part of a larger site that was occupied by the colony's first hospital, which operated from c.1790 to 1816. The site of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group was leased by Samuel Terry from c.1823. Terry undertook the construction of a stone terrace of three buildings on the site c.1830. His development included the original Fortune of War Hotel, which was only demolished c.1920 for the construction of the extant hotel building. Terry's development also included another licensed premises, the Patent Slip Tavern, which sat on the site of the original portion of the extant Russell Hotel building. The rendered gable to the southern side of the roof terrace of the extant Fortune of War Hotel appears to be either the gabled wall of the original Fortune of War Hotel or of Terry's building at 139-141 George Street. The sites of The Russell Hotel and the Fortune of War Hotel have been used for hotels and licensed premises since c.1828, and demonstrate a continuity of use since that time. The site of 139-141 George Street also demonstrates continuity of use, having provided shops at ground floor level and accommodation on the upper levels during the same period. The extant Fortune of War Hotel was built in 1921 and its main bar has a high level of intactness. The planning of the bar, with its large enclosing counter within a large space, was directly influenced by the 1916 introduction of early closing which led to a demand for more bar space at the peak time of heaviest demand - 5pm to 6pm. The item meets this criterion at a STATE level. The historical significance of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group is demonstrated by: ? The association of the site with the first hospital and the early colonial development of Sydney, ? The subsequent continuous uses of 137 George Street, the site of the Fortune of War Hotel, as a public house/hotel ? The design and fabric of the main bar of The Fortune of War Hotel. ? The gabled parapet to the southern side of the roof terrace of The Fortune of War Hotel.

Historical association: The site of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group is associated with prominent colonial figure Samuel Terry, whose astute business dealings led to him becoming known as the 'Botany Bay Rothschild'. Terry leased, and later owned, the entire site of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War group and erected a group of three buildings upon it. The present Fortune of War Hotel, and to a lesser extent the Russell Hotel, are associated with Tooth & Co, a brewing company that was established in 1835 and ran until 1983. The company took an increasing interest in the construction and operation of hotels from the 1920s. The Fortune of War Hotel was designed by the company's resident architect. The item meets this criterion at a STATE level. The associational significance of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group 137 -143a George Street is demonstrated by: ? The association of the site with Samuel Terry, ? The association of the present Fortune of War Hotel, and to a lesser extent The Russell Hotel, with Tooth & Co.

Aesthetic significance: The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group, with its three different architectural styles, makes an important contribution to the streetscape of George Street, The Rocks, the most intact nineteenth and early twentieth century streetscape in the city. The Fortune of War Hotel was built in the Federation Free Style architectural style. It is an important example of an Inter-War era hotel premises and the exterior, and many interior, features of the building have a high level of integrity. The building retains key features of licensed hotel architecture of its day and the main bar area, including its joinery and fitout, have a very high level of intactness. The item meets this criterion at a STATE level. The aesthetic significance of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group 137 -143a George Street is demonstrated by: ? The important contribution of the group to the streetscape of George Street, The Rocks, ? The Federation Free Style architectural style of 137 George Street, The Fortune of War Hotel, ? The highly intact main bar of The Fortune of War Hotel.

Social significance: The Fortune of War Hotel has been a meeting place for the working men of The Rocks area since the time of its construction in 1921, and for many years also provided them with accommodation. The hotel has been used since 1948 for the regular meetings of the Australian Army 2nd Mounted Battalion veterans, in association with the Anzac Day commemorations. The item meets this criterion at a LOCAL level. The social significance of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group 137 -143a George Street is demonstrated by: ? The traditional role of The Fortune of War Hotel as a meeting place and abode of working men within The Rocks area, and its association with veterans of WWII and the veterans of subsequent wars and overseas deployments that Australia has been involved in.

Research significance: The fabric of the three individual buildings that make up The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group (in particular that of The Russell Hotel and the Fortune of War Hotel) has a high level of integrity. It therefore has the potential to reveal evidence of past decorative finishes, floor plan configurations and information contained within concealed spaces that have not been opened up during previous works. The rendered, gabled southern parapet to the roof terrace of The Fortune of War Hotel appears to date from Samuel Terry's development of c.1830. It may be the external wall of the original Fortune of War Hotel, or it may have been the wall of the development on the adjacent site at 139-141 George Street, which preceded the extant building on that site. Further investigation of the painted finishes of all of the buildings in the group may also reveal further information about early painted signage. The three individual sites comprising The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group have the potential to reveal information about building configurations, services and features that date from the time prior to the construction of the extant buildings on site. This information may relate to wells, cisterns and features that were associated with the 1850s/1860s water, sewerage and drainage services constructed by the City Council. The item meets this criterion at a STATE level. The research potential of is demonstrated by: ? The high level of integrity of much of the fabric of the three individual buildings that make up the group (in particular the Russell Hotel and The Fortune of War Hotel). ? The rendered, gabled parapet wall to the southern side of the roof terrace of The Fortune of War Hotel, ? The historic painted finishes and signage that may exist below the current painted finishes of the buildings. The archaeological potential is demonstrated by: ? The potential of the three individual sites that make up The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group to reveal information about building configurations, services and features that date from the time before the construction of the extant buildings.

Rare assessment: The Fortune of War Hotel, 137 George Street, is an example of an Inter-War era licensed hotel that retains much of its interior planning and detail, including in particular its bar top hamper sitting within one of the few authentic historic interiors in Sydney. The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group as a whole, with its particular combination of buildings of different architectural styles and construction dates, makes an important contribution to the streetscape of the George Street commercial precinct of The Rocks. This intact 19th and early 20th century streetscape is unique in the state. The item meets this criterion at a STATE level. The rarity of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group 137 -143a George Street is demonstrated by: ? The Fortune of War Hotel and its intact planning and detail, in particular the main bar with its bar top hamper, ? The location of this group of buildings within the heritage streetscape of George Street, The Rocks.

Representative assessment: The current Fortune of War Hotel, 137 George Street, is an Inter-War period building in the Federation Free Style. It retains much of its original planning, fabric and finishes and, in particular, its highly intact main bar. The building traditionally functioned as a meeting place and abode for the working men of The Rocks area. This meets the criterion at a STATE level. The representativeness of The Russell Hotel/Fortune of War Group 137 -143a George Street is demonstrated by: ? The planning and fabric of the Fortune of War Hotel, an Inter-War hotel building in the Federation Free Style.

Intact assessment: Archaeology partly disturbed, but a significant archaeological resource may remain under the footprints of the buildings

Physical condition: There are water problems in the basement, otherwise the building is in good condition. (P Wyborn 1999)Archaeological Assessment Condition: Mostly disturbed. Assessment Basis: Cellars. Recent renovation.

Listings

References

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Maitland, Neil Colin	1983	George Street, The Rocks: A Streetscape Conservation Study
Written	P Wyborn SHFA	1999	Verbal Advice to S Hoppe
Management Plan	Nick Jackson	2007	The Fortune of War, 137 George St, The Rocks, Conservation Management Plan
Written	SCRA	1978	Building Data Sheet HP/04
Written
Management Plan	Kate Mountstephens	2013	Russell Hotel & Fortune of War Group - 137, 139-141 & 143-143A George Street - Conservation Management Plan

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