Jewell House

In July 1967, the Administrator of Royal Perth Hospital requested funding from the State Government to build staff accommodation, similar to a successful arrangement at a major Melbourne hospital.

In Melbourne’s model, the hospital owned the land and leased it for 50 years to a private builder who constructed high-quality apartments. Once built, the hospital leased the accommodation back at below-market rent to house their staff. After 50 years, ownership of the building reverted from the builder to the hospital.

Following this example, Perth’s Finance Committee estimated a cost of $750,000 in November 1967 to build a 114-bed facility. The Minister of Health approved the hospital borrowing funds and by September 1968, the cost was finalised at $1,062,000.

In March 1969, tenders were called and 11 companies submitted bids ranging from $982,028 to $1,136,472. Due to budget constraints, the lowest bidder, H.A. Doust Pty Ltd, was awarded the contract, having completed other projects for the Health Department. Jaxon Construction Pty Ltd was the next lowest at $999,480.

The Rise of Jewell House

This led to the construction of Jewell House, a 13-storey building of load-bearing brick and concrete floors, featuring:

• 198 bedrooms for nurses

• Two private flats

• Communal spaces: lounge, rumpus room, TV room, music room, visitors’ room

• A sitting room on each floor, alongside various service and plant rooms.

At the same time, Royal Perth Hospital also purchased the Grand Central Hostel on Wellington Street for nursing accommodation. Once Jewell House opened in 1971, the Hostel was leased to a private operator before being sold in 1976.

Jewell House was reportedly named after Richard Roach Jewell (1810–1891), a respected architect and Superintendent of Public Works in colonial Western Australia.

The Later Years and Sudden Closure

Unfortunately, little public information is available about when Jewell House stopped being used as nursing accommodation. In later years, it was operated by YMCA Perth, serving a range of people including aged care patients, the homeless and those on the Patient Assistance Travel Scheme.

After more than 30 years under YMCA management, the WA Health Department terminated their lease on 31 December 2014, citing the building’s age (over 40 years) and condition as reasons for closure. Critics noted that the building had been a key source of crisis accommodation and its closure left a gap with no replacement.

A fire in early 2014, caused by a faulty fan, led to the evacuation of residents and $100,000 damage, possibly contributing to the closure decision. Concerns about asbestos were also cited.

What Happened Next? Not Much

Since closing, Jewell House has remained vacant with no clear plans for redevelopment. It’s a familiar story—many government-owned sites across Perth remain empty for years while housing needs grow.

Examples include:

• Riverbank Prison: vacant since 2012, prepped for sale since 2016.

• McCall Centre: vacant since prepped for sale began in 2016 and repeatedly broken into,

• Tom Burke House: renovated around 2014, empty for a decade.

Meanwhile, millions are being spent on high-profile projects like:

• $50 million for the Perth Cultural Centre upgrades

• $700 million for Metronet

• $98 million for Rottnest Island staff accommodation.

A Missed Opportunity?

With rising demand for affordable housing, it’s frustrating to see well-located buildings like Jewell House sit idle. Reinvesting in such spaces could help ease pressure on homeless services, crisis accommodation and staff housing - areas of need often overlooked.