The Melbourne Hotel That Helped Shape a Nation (1898)
The Melbourne Hotel That Helped Shape a Nation (1898)
In 1898, a committee worked on Australia’s draft Constitution in a suite at the Grand Hotel. The building is now known as the Hotel Windsor.
The story behind the scene
The hotel opened on Spring Street in 1883, close to Parliament House and government offices. It was a convenient place for political visitors to stay.
During February and March 1898, the drafting committee worked on the Constitution’s final details in a hotel suite. That work formed part of the federation process, alongside the constitutional conventions and later decisions elsewhere.
The hotel had also traded as the Grand Coffee Palace during a period without a liquor licence. It returned to licensed operation as the Grand Hotel in 1897. The Windsor name came later.
What you’re seeing
Horse drawn carriages wait outside the Grand Hotel in the historical photograph. Its twin towers and decorated frontage remain in the modern view, with trams and taller buildings along Spring Street.
Why this photo matters
The exterior looks like a grand hotel because that was its everyday purpose. The drafting committee’s work gives some of the rooms inside a separate place in Australia’s political history.
Historical photograph: photographer unknown, c.1884 to 1910, State Library Victoria, H2013.22313. Modern photograph: Julian Varricchio.
Sources: The Hotel Windsor