Hotel earmarked for Spicer & Detmold site

The proposed hotel would contain 117 suites.

The Forrest family’s burgeoning development arm Fiveight has applied to replace Fremantle’s former Spicer Building with a six storey hotel.

The U-shaped proposal, around a circular courtyard, will contain 117 suites – about three quarters with a balcony.

Set to be licensed, the ground floor is designed with retail and event space, a dining precinct and bar; there is also a rooftop pool.

A basement will contain 48 car parks.

The application comes six months since Fiveight applied to construct a hotel behind a renovated Indiana teahouse, at Cottesloe – north of Fremantle.

Not long earlier the company, a division of the Forrest’s Tattarang business, was speculated to be behind the $42m purchase of Queensland’s Lizard Island.

It also last year snapped up the 16.2ha Cape Lodge, at Yallingup, near Margaret River, for a speculated $10m.

Spicer site hotel

On 2834 square metres at the south west corner of Henderson and William streets, near Fremantle Markets, the Fiveight site has been an open-air car park for 50 years (story continues below).

Before then, it accommodated the c1899 Spicer & Detmold Building, also known as the Spicer Building, which rose four floors.

Andrew and Nicola Forrest acquired the property in 2018.

A 170 year old limestone wall on the block will be incorporated or replicated into the redesign.

“We have worked closely with the architects to create a lifestyle hotel concept that draws on Fremantle’s unique character and attitude to create a landmark building that brings people together,” Tattarang chief executive officer, Andrew Haggar, added.

In March, the Forrest family via another Tattarang division, Harvest Road, outlaid a speculated $70m for two East Kimberley region cattle stations, all up covering 604,430ha.

Not long earlier, that arm also acquired the 7985ha New Norcia farm from the Benedictine Monks, which had held it for 175 years.

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Marc Pallisco

A former property analyst and print journalist, Marc is the publisher of realestatesource.com.au.