Property Advert of the Week: Merimbah, Hunters Hill (1986)

In 1984, the Hunters Hill property 'Merimbah', built in 1864, was converted into an eight-unit complex. One, two and three-bedroom apartments were available. 

Source: J.L. Manning Marketing Pty. Ltd. 1986. "'Merimbah' 1864" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, February 1: 5. 

1969: The Chairlift debuts at the Sydney Showgrounds

At the former Sydney Showgrounds site at Moore Park, those attending the Easter Show had the option of moving across the showgrounds by either Chairlift or gondola and not needing to worry about navigating through the hordes below. 

The chairlift was first used for the Royal Easter Show in 1969, and remained there until the final show at Moore Park in 1997.

It was also the first horizontal chairlift to be installed in Australia

 

Source: Anon. 1969. "Exciting "Lift" for Royal". The Sun, March 12: 25. 

Leading into the Royal Easter Show on April 2, I will post two entries on the Royal Easter Show focusing on 2001. This will take us through the next two Mondays. 

Property Advert of the Week: Zenith Apartments (2003)

In our main entry this week, I shared a newspaper advertisement associated with the opening of the Boulevard Hotel on William Street in 1973. 

The Boulevard Hotel continues to operate to this very day. Another hotel, located at the top of William Street, also opened in the 1970s. 

The hotel, known as Kingsgate and later the Hyatt Kingsgate, Hyatt and Millennium, opened in 1971. It operated until 2003, when it was closed to be converted into the Zenith Apartments, which were completed in 2005. 

Below is a 2003 newspaper advertisement promoting the sale of apartments, which commenced prior to their conversion into apartments.

 

Source: Jones Lang LaSalle. 2003. "Zenith" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, April 5: 19 (Homeowner liftout). 

1973: Boulevard Hotel Opening

The Boulevard Hotel on William Street was opened in 1973. At the time of opening, it was one of the leading hotels to stay in Sydney, despite being on the fringe of the Sydney CBD. At the time of opening, it had a five-star rating and, for years, attracted celebrities and "A"- listers in search of a Sydney abode. 

Famous guests who have stayed at the hotel include Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, Sammy Davis Jr., and John Wayne. 

Below is a newspaper advertisement from the time of opening in 1973. It was reported to have opened in late April, but I could not find any items confirming a fixed opening date.

Source: The Boulevard Hotel. 1973. "The Boulevard. Sydney's new international hotel" (Advertisement). The Wentworth Courier, June 27: 25.

The Boulevard Hotel, five decades later, is no longer a five-star hotel and is currently a four-star hotel, managed by ACCOR. The swimming pool, once available to guests, has since been removed, and Level 25 has been converted to a function room.

Property Advert of the Week: Hooker Housing Group Home Display Centre Ad (1988)

Below is a 1988 newspaper advertisement by the Hooker Housing Group promoting their Home Display Centres at Prospect, Casula and Castle Hill.

 

Source: Hooker Housing Group. "Your first step to a richer family life" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, March 5: 15. 

1960: State Government "Declares" 5 Historic Homes

Source: Anon. 1960. "These historic homes will be preserved". The Daily Telegraph, August 5: 12. 

In 1960, the NSW Government declared five colonial homes as "places of historic interest". This would ensure that the buildings would be preserved and would be a forerunner to their eventual inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register

 

Source: Anon. 1960. "Govt. "Declares" 5 Historic Homes". The Daily Telegraph, August 4: 7. 

Inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register

The Heritage Act, 1977 (NSW) led to the creation of the NSW State Heritage Register, which oversees the protection of items identified as historically, culturally or architecturally significant. To obtain a state-level heritage listing, it would need to be heritage-listed at a local (i.e., council) level before moving to regional listing. If listed at the regional level, it may be considered for heritage listing at the state level.

The five buildings listed in 1960 were added to the State Heritage Register in 1999.