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The Porter House Hotel Sydney – MGallery Collection
The Porter House Hotel Sydney – MGallery Collection
Two buildings from two centuries are united in one distinctive hotel
About the building
The Porter House Hotel – MGallery comprises two buildings: a Victorian free classical–style building commissioned in 1876, and a sleek, modern tower built in 2022. Standing side by side, they are unified by their string courses and arched windows, while expressing their own distinct identity.
The original building, designed by John Frederick Hilly, was commissioned by philanthropist and horticulturist Hugh Dixson and started life as Dixson & Sons’ tobacco factory. When the company outgrew the building, Dixson leased it to furniture manufacturer W W Campbell & Co, followed by leather merchant George Johnson & Sons.
George Johnson & Sons purchased the entire building in 1912 and continued its leather business there until 1958, when it sold the building to Porter & Co Limited. Harry Porter, also known as Harry Kallinikos, converted the ground floor and basement into shops and renamed the building Porter House. Now one half of The Porter House Hotel – MGallery, the heritage-listed building hosts food and beverage destinations, while its adjoining tower accommodates guest rooms.
Candalepas Associates designed the modern tower, which comprises a ten-level podium for the hotel and a 27-storey cantilevered apartment tower that hovers above. The architecture pays homage to the original building by incorporating modern takes on distinctive features, including contemporary curved windows that reference the building’s historical brick archways. Soft curves and arcs continue throughout the interior, supple leather detailing is an ode to its former incarnation as a leather merchant, and playfully mismatched modern and vintage lamps symbolise the immersion of heritage and modernity.
On the side exterior wall, an 11-storey abstract mural by Maria Fernanda Cardoso was designed in collaboration with Angelo Candalepas. The mural is believed to be the largest public artwork by an Australian artist in the Sydney CBD.
Building info
Built
1876; 2022
Architect
John Frederick Hilly
Candalepas Associates
Awards
RIBA International Awards – International Award for Excellence, 2026
Australian Institute of Architects National Architecture Awards – National Award for Commercial Architecture; National Award for Heritage, 2024
Australian Institute of Architects NSW Architecture Awards – Commercial Architecture; Greenway Award for Heritage, 2024
Australasia-Pacific Hotel Design Awards – Hotel of the Year (new build); Paul Davis Award for Australasia-Pacific Hotel of the Year, 2023
Find out more about this building here
The Porter House Hotel Sydney – MGallery Collection
203 Castlereagh Street, Sydney
Entry details
Sydney Open visitors will have exclusive access to the library room and a guest room
10am–5pm
4.45pm
Need to know
Accessible featuresThere is ramp or level (step-free) entry and lift access to all public levels
Toilets availableAccessible toilets
Photography allowedFood and drink availableThe Porter Room, Located on the Ground Floor
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