Garde Hotel | Matthew Crawford Architects and Meyer Shircore Architects and Foolscap Studio

Garde Hotel is an 83-room boutique hotel set within one of Fremantle’s most historically sensitive precincts, surrounded by landmark heritage sites including Fremantle Prison, the former courthouse, and the Warders Cottages. The project occupies three interconnected buildings with distinct architectural origins: Blocks D and E, constructed between 1897 and 1903 as police quarters, and Block F, a 1978 modernist addition by architect R. J. “Gus” Fergusson.

With much of the original internal heritage fabric removed prior to redevelopment, the design adopts an adaptive-reuse approach that reinstates character through materiality, scale, and careful reinterpretation. Two additional levels were added to Block F to increase capacity, extending the original structure through a refined travertine façade that echoes the geometry of the existing concrete. Completed in September 2025, the hotel weaves heritage and contemporary design to create a distinctive civic and hospitality presence within the heart of Fremantle.