Criterion Hotel Perth

The Criterion Hotel stands at the corner of Hay and Murray streets with a facade of intricate, cream-colored stucco and a dark, heavy awning that anchors the street level. Built in nineteen thirty-seven, it replaced an older pub from the gold rush era. Architect Samuel Rosenthal designed it in an Inter-War Free Classical style, meant to project an image of reliability during the Great Depression. Businessmen once occupied its rooms to finalize deals in the city center while miners passed through on their way to the fields.