Alexandra Men's Hostel
Located on Hay Street, in Perth's CBD, this two-storey commercial building was constructed from 1903 to 1907 following the gold boom.
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Not much can be found on this building which is sad but it's most reknown for the famous story of Bob Hobson's 1946 murder of Stella Farnworth, which took place at the Alexandra Hostel. I have included articles from the Museum of Perth's excellent recount of the story below, as well as a link to their website.
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The Alexandra Hostel later became a men's hostel providing single accomodation for 24 residents with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. All rooms were fully furnished and included linen supply and a refrigerator. There was an on-site caretake responsible for cleaning and the general operation of the premises. Rent was $67.50 but I don't recall for what year.
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From my time on and around the streets of Perth, I have strong memories of this hostel being for men's accomodation. Perhaps there was female quarters somewhere, I am unsure, although females were allowed to visit to which I did when my mates Owen and Thomas lived there. I also recall that nearly all the residents were parolees, bailees or ex-homeless men, many with mental health troubles. It is hard to find any exact dates for anything related to this hostel but I think it was around 2006 the hostel closed down but perhaps it could have been a few years earlier.
01 - October 2020
02 - October 2020
03 - December 2021
It's almost unheard of, that a so-called abandoned place doesn't change. Whether from homeless people setting up camp, thieves seeking opportunities, graffiti artists, vandals or the various weather conditions.
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Although the building itself, or a tleast parts of it, is still being tenanted by a small business, the rear of the property remains forgotten some 15 years after forming part of the Alexander Men's Hostel.
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I only noticed four small changes since my last visit 14 months earlier: The thorny bougainvillea has certainly grown wild during this time, although the hedera helix ivy not so much. The laughing pink lobster on the back wall has been painted over with a patch of chrome, as if someone was preparing a canvas for their graff. A few childlike tags line the walls of the outside bathroom and the broken wooden pallet that was also in there, has since been removed.
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