The Corner Hotel first opened on this site in the 1870s to serve the growing population of the suburb of Richmond. In its early period it functioned very similarly to other hotels in the area, serving alcohol and food and providing accommodation, though in the 1940s it began to host daytime jazz performances. The original bulding was demolished in 1966 to accommodate the expansion of the railway lines to Richmond station, and a new building was constructed in the same year. It was in this rebuilt hotel that “The Corner” became a significant and iconic venue for Australian live music during the 1970s and 1980s, including acts such as Men at Work, Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly. The reputation of the Corner Bandroom as a rock music venue was such by 1988 that it was the site for two “secret” shows by Pink Floyd and Mick Jagger, who each played late-night unannounced shows publicised only by word of mouth. The use of the venue declined somewhat during the early 1990s, but was renovated in 1995 and continues to be one of Melbourne’s high profile music venues. Earlier heritage assessments of this part of Richmond did not specifically include the Corner Hotel as it was a far newer building than the surrounding Victorian and Edwardian era streetscape. More recently, however, the Corner Hotel has been recognised as significant for its cultural contribution as a venue, and for its social significance. The growing recognition of how central live music has been to Richmond’s heritage was marked in 2018 by the opening of the Wall of Music mural and the statue of former Countdown presenter Molly Meldrum in Wangaratta Park behind the Corner Hotel.
by laurenpiko on March 1, 2019Please login to comment on this item