The Guildford Hotel has been a popular local landmark sitting smack-bang in the centre of town for more than 100 years.

It was built in 1886, with its imposing classical facade added in 1914.

In 1993 the hotel was added to the State Heritage Register, but in 2008 a suspicious fire destroyed the roof and gutted its interior.

For years it sat vacant, surrounded by security fencing.

The local community ran a fierce campaign urging the owners to save and restore the building.

The Guildford Hotel in 2010, two years after fire gutted the building.

And now their years of campaigning has paid off, with the hotel set to reopen.

Architect Kylee Schoonens said the restoration aimed to pay tribute to the building's 130-year history.

"We really wanted to tell the story of the hotel," Ms Schoonens told Hilary Smale on 720 ABC Perth.

"One of the key elements is obviously the fire but it had so much more history.

"The way that we have done that is by retaining as much of the existing fabric in the building as we possibly could."

Evidence of fire remains

In some ways the fire actually augmented the restoration process, Ms Schoonens added.

"The benefit of the fire was that it actually pulled back so many of those layers for us that we wouldn't have actually been able to see otherwise," she said.

"We were careful to keep those elements still exposed.

"Where the fire came through the upper floors, there were a series of bedrooms.

"A lot of the timbers have gone but there were some amazing pieces that have been left.

"You can see untouched original timbers with floorboards across the top that are fire damaged."

Bricks made by convicts

Also revealed under the old plasterwork was evidence of a much earlier history.

Guildford was one of the first colonial settlements in Perth and the hotel was one of the area's original watering holes.

"When we were pulling back the plasterwork we found original handmade bricks that were made by convicts," Ms Schoonens said.

"You can see a lot of the tool marks in the bricks themselves."

Despite the complexity of the restoration project, it has been a labour of love for the architects and building team.

"I love old buildings and being able to bring their stories to life," Ms Schoonens said.

"One of the things that has made the most impact on me is the way that the community has really embraced the project as well.

"We have had so many great comments and people saying how much they love the building.

"It's been really heart-warming."