The 1968 Meckering earthquake damaged the hotel and many other buildings in the district . The two-storey , bull nose verandah had to be removed and the condition of the building declined . In 1981 , the place was closed as unfit for human habitation and became subject to vandalism and weather deterioration . After some renovations , in 1987 , the hotel was acquired by York Motels Pty Ltd ( 1987-1993 ) including local builder David Ayoub . He rebuilt the verandahs , using wrought iron work manufactured in Sydney to match the originals , but the fretwork arches on the lower level and the bullnose verandah roof were not reproduced . In the early 2000s , a fire in the stables destroyed the timberwork of the building , including the roof timbers . Material that was n’t destroyed , including the hewn timber horse troughs , was removed leaving only the stone walls standing . The hotel was renovated in about 2010 and again by a local farming syndicate in 2018 and has reopened , providing meals and refreshments
1968 Meckering earthquake
1968 Meckering earthquake
Imperial Hotel, York