From the Maitland Mercury report:
The sale of Mansfield – one of Maitland’s most significant historical buildings – will bring a premier hotel to High Street.
John Murphy sold the 1885 building last week and said the new owners want to convert the second and third floor, which had previously been office space, into a hotel, and this would be a major attraction for the city.
“It’s one of the most significant buildings in Maitland and, architecture-wise, it is one of the most significant in NSW,” he said.
The plans will fit in with Maitland City Council’s plan to refurbish High Street to make central Maitland the heart of the city.
The building was the home of the Commercial Bank of Sydney until 1949 and the manager used to live upstairs.
But when a manager’s house was bought in Lorn, the top two floors were converted into office space and a variety of businesses used them.
Full article by Belinda-Jane Davis available at Maitland Mercury, 25 Apr, 2012.
