Aussie art deco hotels
Photographer geoffrey goddard is on a mission to document as many of australia’s art deco pubs as he can.
Who are you and what do you do? I’m a Sydney-based art director, designer and photographer with a passion for 20th-century architecture and photography-filled road trips. I’ve been capturing Australia’s Art Deco pubs for some 12 years now. It’s taken me to every corner of the country and seen me clock more than 35,000 kilometres on the roads.
How did this project come about? I’ve been a collector of all things Deco for many years, including buying and selling furniture and collectibles for a while. A trip to some of America’s great Art Deco cities like New York, Chicago and Miami launched my passion for photographing architecture. Around the same time, some important examples of Australia’s Art Deco architecture were demolished, so I started researching and compiled a repository of remaining buildings – including many pubs – with the aim of photographing them, one road trip at a time.
Why were so many pubs constructed in this style? In the early part of the 20th century there was a consolidation of Australian breweries, and by the early 1930s, this led to a competitive drive to promote their beers. They wanted their new pubs to be designed in the latest Streamline Art Deco style to woo customers. With Australia’s population expanding due to an increase of industrialisation, these Deco pubs were built everywhere – and with motels not a thing yet (they came in the 1950s with the increase in car ownership) they were a place for weary travellers to get a good feed and a cheap room for the night.
How did you find all the pubs you’ve photographed? Many of the Sydney ones I knew about already, but I also researched using books and online resources like blogs and historical archives. I spent many hours on Google Maps and Street View, too. Sometimes I’ll come across one by accident on my travels, but most I’ve researched and marked on a map.
Talk us through some of the locations you’ve visited. I’ve travelled to most parts of Australia in pursuit of these gems, from Atherton in Far North Queensland to Whyalla in South Australia; from Bourke in New South Wales to Perth in the west. One of the most remote locations I visited was Winton in outback Queensland, to photograph the North Gregory Hotel. You get a few funny looks and questions from locals as they watch you running around outside the pub, setting up your tripod and trying to find the best angle as they down a few cold beers in the front bar.
Are there any pubs you’ve found that stand out as extra-special?
I have too many favourites to list them all! I loved the Central in Deniliquin, New South Wales, for its incredible Streamline design and fins above the entrance. It may be on the banks of the Edward River, but it could easily be nestled alongside the Art Deco hotels on Miami Beach. The Hotel Bay View in Whyalla, South Australia, has a strong reference to the Amsterdam School of architecture, including a central tower incorporating glass bricks and Jazz Age typography.
Do the Art Deco features tend to continue inside the buildings, as well? Unfortunately, most of the interiors have been redesigned and stripped out over the years, but some still retain one or two original features, like glazed tiles, leadlight windows in geometric designs, ceiling roses and the large, curved front bars these hotels were famous for.
Is this your favourite era of architecture? I’ve long had an affinity for Art Deco design, but over time, my appreciation for other design and architectural movements of the 20th century has grown.
I now photograph many Mid-century Modern, Googie and Brutalist buildings, as well.
Where can we see more of your work? On Instagram at @australianartdecohotels, and I’ve also compiled a book by the same name. You can find it at geoffreygoddardphotography.com