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The long gone Menzies Hotel once stood on the se corner of Bourke & William Streets, and was the hotel of choice of the elite from its opening in 1867 into the 1950s. It went through many additions over the years : the original hotel was 3 floors, designed by Reed & Barnes with curious but distinctive square bell cast corner roofs, and it was the first proper grand hotel in Melbourne, immediately popular with the better off country and international visitors. In 1887, a bit was added on the William Street side, including a new dining room, and then in 1897 a matching section was added on the Bourke Street side, and two more floors overall with a different but still distinctive tower, designed by Twentyman & Askew. Then in 1922 the William Street bit was extended again, with a larger dining room, and rooms with attached baths, which was considered very up to date. Couldn’t find too many pics of inside, but some from 1895 show the dining room and a ‘Moorish court’, then a delicious ‘winter garden’ from 1911, a redecorated lounge in the 1930s, the main lounge in maybe the 30s, then when it was a cocktail bar in 1965, and the function room, same date.
