Zanoni Hotel

By J. McKeagney

 

Zanoni Hotel south west corner of Rae and Reid Streets, Fitzroy North.

 

In the 1860s only nine of the 28 licensed hotels in the Fitzroy municipality were in the area north of Alexandra Parade (North Fitzroy).

 

Twelve hotel licenses were granted for North Fitzroy in the 1870s, despite a growing temperance movement. Zanoni  was licensed from 1872. Its licensee from 1878-1882 was Richard Megerall whose  name appears above the door in the 1881  black and white image below. He and his family may be the people in the image – certainly, all  the women in the image and presumably Richard in the centre,  bear a strong resemblance to one another- (with client on the far  left?).

 

The significance of the very distinctive ‘Zanoni’ as a hotel name is unknown. It may refer to a surname. In 1842 a novel ‘Zanoni’ written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton was published and may have been a source of inspiration. Zanoni was also the name of a cargo vessel that sunk near Adelaide in 1867.

 

Under the provisions of the 1906 Licensing Act, over 30 hotels were closed down in the municipality. Zanoni had its license revoked in 1925. Public housing units occupy the site currently.