Port Office Hotel

Coordinates: 27°28′18″S 153°01′47″E / 27.4717°S 153.0298°E / -27.4717; 153.0298
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Port Office Hotel
Port Office Hotel, 2010
Location40 Edward Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates27°28′18″S 153°01′47″E / 27.4717°S 153.0298°E / -27.4717; 153.0298
Design period1870s–1890s (late 19th century)
Built1876
ArchitectJames Cowlishaw
Official namePort Office Hotel, Shamrock Hotel
Typestate heritage (built)
Designated21 October 1992
Reference no.600098
Significant period1876 (fabric)
1909 (historical)
Significant componentsfurniture/fittings, store/s / storeroom / storehouse
BuildersCharles Midson
Port Office Hotel is located in Queensland
Port Office Hotel
Location of Port Office Hotel in Queensland
Port Office Hotel is located in Australia
Port Office Hotel
Port Office Hotel (Australia)

Port Office Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 40 Edward Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Cowlishaw and built from 1876 by Charles Midson. It was also known as Shamrock Hotel. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.[1]

History[edit]

Port Office Hotel Brisbane, circa 1929

The first hotel on this site was opened in May 1864 and was known as the Shamrock Hotel.[1]

In late 1876 the Shamrock Hotel was reconstructed as a two-storey masonry building with verandahs. It was designed by James Cowlishaw with Charles Midson the contractor.[1]

In 1888 the remodelled hotel was described as being "extremely commodious, containing (besides public and private bars and an attractive clubroom) fifteen bedrooms, a drawing room, two bath rooms and four public rooms on the ground floor". The hotel was patronised by workers from nearby shipping and industrial and riverside businesses.[1]

Shamrock Hotel (to the right of Smellie building) was flooded during the 1893 flood; the ground floor awnings are at the level of the flood waters

The building was flooded in the 1893 Brisbane flood.

With the change of licensee c. 1909, John Chillan Cutbush renamed the hotel the Port Office Hotel.[1][2]

In 1955 the hotel was refurbished under the direction of architect Francis Leo Cullen. This work included the removal of all the verandahs, lacework, canopies and chimneystacks and renovation of the interior fittings.[1]

The hotel was flooded in the 1974 Brisbane flood.[3]

During the 1980s further internal renovations have been undertaken.[1]

Flooded Edward and Margaret Streets looking towards the Port Office Hotel, 2011

Due to its low-lying position, the Port Office Hotel was sandbagged to provide protection during the 2011 Brisbane floods.

Description[edit]

The Port Office Hotel, located on the corner of Edward and Margaret Streets, is a two storeyed rendered brick building with a corrugated iron roof. The rendered brickwork is scribed to imitate stonework and has bays separated by rendered quoins while a number of the window openings have stone sills. A cantilevered awning dominates the street facades.[1]

A separate store with a hipped roof, filling in the "L" shape plan to create a rectangle, has been incorporated into the structure. A verandah has been added to the eastern back wall. Leadlight windows remain in some of the ground floor openings.[1]

Internally some of the early timber doors, architraves, and skirtings survive but otherwise the majority including the stair has been altered in various refurbishments since the 1950s.[1]

Heritage listing[edit]

Port Office Hotel was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.

The Port Office Hotel is significant for its contribution to the lower Edward Street streetscape in association with the Port Office, Naval Offices, Old Mineral House and Smellie's Building.[1]

The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

The Port Office Hotel is significant for its contribution to the lower Edward Street streetscape in association with the Port Office, Naval Offices, Old Mineral House and Smellie's Building.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Port Office Hotel (entry 600098)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  2. ^ "LICENSING COURT". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 4 November 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  3. ^ Unidentified (1974), Flooded Edward Street during the 1974 Brisbane flood, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, retrieved 23 February 2015

Attribution[edit]

This Wikipedia article was originally based on "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014).

External links[edit]