Sydney-based architecture firm Tonkin Zulaikha Greer (TZG) has carefully crafted The Old Clare Hotel, transforming a former pub into boutique accommodation.
The hotel is the latest from international boutique hotel group Unlisted Collection and is located in the heritage-listed Carlton & United Breweries administration building and the former Clare Hotel pub in Sydney’s Chippendale. The two neglected buildings have been linked via a four-storey glass atrium, with the newly connected site providing a total of 62 rooms and suites, a rooftop pool, meetings rooms, a bar and three restaurants.
The guest rooms pay homage to the fabric of the former buildings, with heritage timber panelling and original framed windows and exposed walls kept intact. The 100-square-metre premier C.U.B Suite is located in the former Carlton & United Breweries’ boardroom, where original parquetry floors, cornices, lighting and even the men’s urinals have been restored and retained. In the reception and downstairs bar space, amber-coloured glass panels on the bar front and reception desk hark back to the site’s history with beer. Original phone booths, tiles and gig posters have been kept and play a big role in telling the story of Old Clare.
The spacious 100-square-metre C.U.B Suite is located in the former Carlton & United Breweries’ boardroom.
Image: Photography courtesy of The Old Clare Hotel.
“We didn’t go into it with any preconceived ideas about what a hotel should be. It was really about giving the creatives involved the freedom to express what they thought was the best use of the space,” said The Old Clare Hotel general manager Timo Bures of the brief.
“Across the hotel we found areas and spaces that were beautiful to begin with so it was really important for us that we didn’t go over the top, that we worked with the history.”
The hotel is a major milestone in the redevelopment of the Kensington Street Precinct and Central Park redevelopment.
Sydney Open guests can tour The Old Clare Hotel’s foyer, bar and roof terrace. Visit the Sydney Open website for more information.
