46 Leveson Street

50 Leveson Street

The Eldorado Hotel [21] 1872-2003, rebadged as Circus 2003″

The names

Many have assumed that the name El Dorado, which is Spanish for The Golden One, meant that the pub was one or those on a busy route to the goldfields. However, the first licence was not issued until 1872, which is too late for such a literal meaning. The name could refer to the fact that many people had travelled through the district in their search for wealth. The new name, Circus, came as something of a shock to the local community.

The building has been altered several times, notably in 1886, 1954 and during the 1990s.

The locality

By the time the Eldorado was undergoing its first alteration, the area had developed a strong character.  In 1875, in the block between Victoria and Queensberry streets on the east side – i.e. the same side as the El Dorado – were occupied by a coachbuilder, an architect, a teacher of pianoforte, a painter, a dressmaker, a boot-maker, a cab proprietor, a watchmaker, an assembly hall and a printer.

Opposite, and coming again from Victoria Street, were an insurance agent, two dress-makers, the police barracks, another hotel (The Hotham Arms), a grocer, a greengrocer, a boot maker, a general store, a wood and coal yard, residences, a fancy slipper maker, a bootmaker and a grocer, wine and spirit merchants.

Historic Pubs of North Melbourne by Hotham History Project.