Central Business District in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia — Oceania
Former Leitrim Hotel
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 3, 2026
1. Former Leitrim Hotel Marker
is registered by the
Heritage Council of Victoria
Designed by Henry Tolhurst and built in 1888 for the Victoria Brewing Company in the then-notorious Little Lon area, this former hotel is notable for its ornate and unusually intact Boom-period facade.
Victorian Heritage Register Number H2242
Erected by Heritage Council Victoria. (Marker Number H2242.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1888.
Location. 37° 48.565′ S, 144° 58.087′ E. Marker is in Melbourne, Victoria. It is in the Central Business District. It is at the intersection of Little Lonsdale Street and Bennetts Lane, on the left when traveling west on Little Lonsdale Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 130 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Oceania, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, the Pacific Rim, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Caretaker's Cottage (within shouting distance of this marker); Wesley Place Archaeological Excavations (within shouting distance of this marker); Archaeology and Artefacts (within shouting distance of this marker); Former School House (within shouting distance of this marker); Former Manse (within shouting distance of this marker); Nicholas Hall (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); John Wesley Statue (about 90 meters away); Wesley Church (about 90 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Melbourne.
Also see . . . Former Leitrim Hotel. Victorian Heritage Database
What is significant?(Submitted on June 21, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)
The former Leitrim Hotel was designed by the architect Henry E Tolhurst and built in 1888 for the Victoria Brewing Co Ltd by Jason Fraser of West Melbourne. The site had been occupied from 1852 by a four-roomed brick house and stable, which by 1855 was owned by Martin Rooney and used as a shop. The first Leitrim Hotel was built on the site by Rooney in the mid-1860s, and was named after a hotel of thesame name in Dublin where an historic meeting was held in 1850 to express sympathy with the dismissed Orange magistrates. By 1882 the hotel was described as dilapidated and dirty, the license was in doubt and in 1888, at the height of Melbourne's boom, the building was replaced. The architect Tolhurst had been Town Clerk and Surveyor for the Borough of Eaglehawk, where he had designed the old Town Hall (replaced in 1901) and the Mechanics Institute (1865, VHR H713). In 1884 he became Surveyor for the Municipality of Collingwood, but also practised as a private architect and surveyor and was involved with a number of works for brewing companies. The hotel was in the part of Melbourne known as 'Little Lon', notorious in the second half of the nineteenth century for its supposed poverty, crime and debauchery, where hotels abounded. The hotel was taken over in 1906 by Carlton & United Breweries, which closed it in 1907. A Chinese cabinet-maker, Lim Wing War & Co occupied the building until the 1920s, joining other Chinese who pursued similar occupations in this part of the city. The building was converted into offices in the 1980s and later into a residence.Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 3, 20262. Former Leitrim Hotel and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
