The Ingomar Story

At 34 Patrick Street, Hobart, you will find a large stately house known as Ingomar.

The building was constructed in 1897 by a Mr Fred H Crisp, a timber merchant and saw miller. The Cyclopedia of Tasmania (1901, page 347) described the building as follows:

"On a nice rise of the hill in Patrick Street will be found a beautiful mansion built of brick and stone, 'Ingomar', which Mr Fred H Crisp has had erected over the past years. It has a handsome appearance with capitally laid out grounds, and it commands an extensive panoramic view of the city and harbour. Nothing was spared to make it one of the most lovely residences in Hobart, if not the colony."

By the early 1920s, Ingomar changed from being a private residence to a private boarding establishment. Under the proprietor, Miss E Besier, the number of guests Ingomar was able to accommodate expanded from approximately fifty in the early 1920s to seventy in the early 1940s. In order to accommodate the additional guests, a loft was built in the roof in the late 1930s.

During the time Miss Besier had the Ingomar, the services provided were upgraded to include running water in every bedroom, a hot water service and a refrigerator. The building also had the added attractions of a recreation room and a ballroom. It was described in the Tasmanian Hotel and Boarding House Directory as having "Balconies. Garden. Motor Garage" and a "Wonderful panorama of City, Harbour and general surroundings".

Ingomar subsequently changed from being a private boarding house to a hotel. During the late 1960s a Mr and Mrs M H Seale managed it.

Due to Ingomar's proximity to sporting facilities, it was well patronised by sporting groups. The popularity of Ingomar saw the North Hobart Football and Sports Club purchase the Hotel.

In 1976 the Ingomar was sold to the Tasmanian Teachers Federation (now the Australian Education Union). The TTF continued to run the Ingomar as a hotel. Over time however, the business lost money and the hotel closed its doors.

Ingomar was then leased as a school building, housing the Lambert Cottage School. Later, the ground floor was the home of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party. During this period, other sections of the building were leased to a number of different tenants.

In 1991 the Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) purchased Ingomar. The building was beautifully renovated, as much as possible seeking to preserve its Victorian heritage. The roof loft was removed restoring the roofline to its original profile.

Despite a number of ill conceived and uncomplimentary additions and alterations over the years, Ingomar has retained much of its original Victorian architectural splendour.

Architectural features such as bracketed eaves, bay windows, cast iron verandah frieze and front fence are all substantially intact. Similarly, internal decorative elements such as skirting, architraves, cornices, fireplace surround, stair railings, leadlight windows, etched glass and ceiling roses have survived. One feature of the original building that has not been restored is the first story verandah that can be seen in early Ingomar photographs. Perhaps one day this too will be restored!

Ingomar is of historic heritage significance because of its ability to demonstrate the principles of a Victorian Italianate town house, its construction method, fabrication and operation. Accordingly it has been entered on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.

The latest chapter in the Ingomar history began in mid 1998 when The Quill Consultancy completed its search for new premises by signing a contract to purchase the property with an extended settlement period that would finally result in a change of ownership in July 2002. The Quill began moving into the building progressively from January 1999 and completed its relocation at the beginning of August 1999 following extensive renovations to the back section of the ground floor.

LGAT remains as a tenant in their former building and now occupy the whole of the first floor, with The Quill's computer training and consulting activities being conducted on the ground floor.

This brings the Ingomar's story up-to-date; it will be interesting to see what the next chapter has in store ….

(We are grateful to LGAT and Francis Ryan for allowing us to use this material.)