A gazebo may be a freestanding garden structure, open on all sides providing shade and a place to rest. It may also be a landmark apartment block.

Apartment 803 in the Gazebo Apartments, 2 Elizabeth Bay Road, is currently for sale through Angelo Bouras and Tonia Croft at Richardson and Wrench: https://www.rwebay.com.au/7198825/

The Gazebo apartment complex is now a two-building complex adaptively re-used form the former famous 12-sided Gazebo Hotel. The hotel was once famous for its jaw-dropping 360 degree views and ultra-hip 1960s retina-busting, electric blue and vivid purple-puce cocktail bar.

Opened in May 1969, the site is now heritage-listed, unusually, for its technical significance. It has a unique 18-storey construction method determined by its cylindrical shape and internal radiating concrete frame. It is also an excellent example of a Post-War International Style hotel building.

The owner and developer, Syd Fischer, created the design concept himself and supervised construction after being inspired by similar buildings he’d seen in Chicago.
The site had previously been occupied by the Cherveralls private hotel.

International Style has three main design principles. Structure, plan and functionalism. This style achieved widespread and enthusiastic adoption in the USA and many other countries, hence its name.
The current adjoining rectangular complementary apartment block with courtyards, built in 1982 was once occupied by a service station.
The Gazebo’s original 1960s funky functionalist foyer decor included modern plastic furniture and orange carpet. It was widely admired as avant garde, then fell out of favour in the 1980s and 90s but has now come back into vogue as a retro-fashion statement.
The building’s skeletal-structure façade and white marble aggregate finish were praised by media at the time as “one of the most spirited additions to Sydney’s skyline for some time”.

The original hotel accommodated 500 guests in 200 rooms with a single room costing $90 per night in 2000 including Continental Breakfast.
A stunning heated swimming pool and enclosed roof-top observation deck commanded expansive views over Sydney for hotel guests to enjoy.

Both buildings were successfully upgraded to modern apartments in 2005.
Many, such as apartment 803, have sweeping panoramic views

By Andrew Woodhouse, Director, Heritage Solutions