573 Spencer Street

573 Spencer Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
http://www.picturevictoria.vic.gov.au/site/melbourne/NorthMelbourne/17919.html

Also known as known lately as 573-579 Spencer St.
Previous Address 375 Spencer before Melbourne council re numbered the street
Constructed 3/7/1856
Style Victorian, Early : 1840-1860
Architect
Builder Alexander Edward Short

Timelapse Building Images

2020

Blended image.

1970’s

Three buildings in this old photograph were once owned by Mr. Andrew Edward Short, 573, 575 then 579 Spencer (once called Short’s Hotel) on right hand side, on Spencer Street in West Melbourne.

http://www.picturevictoria.vic.gov.au/site/melbourne/NorthMelbourne/17919.html


Land Details

1. MMBW map

2. Compiled Crown Record Plan

3. First crown land purchaser was a Mr. A. E. Short, lot 10 section 56.

Alexander Edward Short was born, the sixth of nine children, around 1831 in London to parents Thomas Short and Elizabeth Sarah Hastings. He married Jane Allen in 1852 at St John’s Church in Newtown Hobart at the age of 21, while she was 16. Jane Allen was born in 1836 at Hobart town to father John Allen. Alexander and Jane had eleven children, all born in the district of Port Phillip between 1856 to 1880.

Sometime around the early 1880’s Mr. Alexander E Short J.P. of Tambo Park Preston was elected as a councilor for the Gowerville district of the Shire of Jika

Building Details

Notice of intent to build.

Street: Spencer-near Hawke Street.

Number: 462. Date 3/7/1856

Owner & Builder: Alexander Edward Short – Spencer Street.

Fee: 1.10.0

Type: house, with a private back yard garden.

Other significant building works carried out by Alexander Short can be found here.

Burchett Index


Subsequent Building Alterations

Mr. Short’s brick house was demolished when the Hotel next door expanded.

Architectural Features



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Heritage Significance and Listings

Heritage Listings and Explanatory Notes

Owners

From To Owner More Info Data Source
1856 Alexander Edward Short Hatcher Index

Residents

From To Resident More Info Data Source
to date Private Hatcher Index
1974 Moomba Hotel (571-577) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2024
1970 Moomba Hotel, Marsh, E. J. (573-577) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2024
1960 1965 Moomba Hotel, Marsh, E. L. (573-577) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2024
1955 vacant (house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2024
1950 Ross, W. boot repairer, and Martin, R. F. (house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2024
1944/5 Ross, W. boot repairer, & Clarke, Mrs Margaret (house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2024
1940 Ross, W. boot repairer, and Monaghan, John (house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2024
1935 Ross, W. boot repairer, and Monk, Abraham R. (shop 573) http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article148559372 Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
1925 1930 Burge, Frederick boot repairers & Abraham R. Monk (573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
1915 1920 Monk, Abraham R. (house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
1910 Gibbon, C. J. confectioner (shop & house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
1905 Turner, Arthur E. (house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
1900 Foster, Mrs E. fruiterer (shop & house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
1895 Nash, Michael confectioner (shop & house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
1889 1890 Poynter, Mrs confectioner (shop & house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
tba Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025
John Leach (house 573) Sands & McDougall directory, transcribed by Stephen Hatcher 2025

Social History

1895 from the MMBW map we can see Short’s Hotel had a name change to the Recreation Hotel under its new ownership.


1856 Alexander Edward Short was the first crown land purchaser of lot 10 section 56, and built a number of homes and a Pub on his corner of Hawke & Spencer Streets in West Melbourne.

http://heritage.darebinlibraries.vic.gov.au/article/794


1861 Mr. John Leach lived at this address when it was a 2 room brick house.

PROV


1861 page 2

PROV



Context and Streetscape

Precinct
The current property resides within the municipality of the City of Melbourne. We respectfully acknowledge it is on the traditional land of the Kulin Nation.
source: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/history-city-of-melbourne.pdf
historical map source: https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/explore-collections-format/maps/maps-melbourne-city-suburbs

Streetscape

Other Information

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