Canberra Hotel, Brisbane
The Canberra Hotel was a
Temperance Hall
The site had long been associated with the temperance movement, having formerly been occupied by the Temperance Hall operated by the Brisbane Total Abstinence Society
Planning for a temperance hotel
The Canberra Hotel was built by the Queensland Prohibition League (later the Queensland Temperance League). The foundation stone was laid on Saturday 30 July 1927 by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane William Jolly with the intention to build a 5-storey building at a cost of £95,000; coins found buried under the foundation stone of the old Temperance Hall were reburied under the Canberra's foundation stone along with current newspapers and documents relating to the affairs of the Queensland Prohibition League. The architect was Arnold Edwin Brooks. The building was financed by private benefactors, particularly William Robert Black and George Marchant, and through a low-interest loan from the Independent Order of Rechabites (a friendly society committed to temperance).[1][2][5] There was ill-feeling that Black and Marchant were levied for gift tax by the Queensland Government in relation to their donations, but in July 1929 as the building neared completion, an act of parliament was passed to exempt these donations from gift tax.[6]
In January 1928, it was decided to add two more storeys to the building (seven in total) and to provide hot and cold water into each room, increasing the cost to £120,000.[7]
The opening
The seven-story concrete-reinforced building was constructed by Blair Cunningham and the Canberra Temperance Hotel was officially opened on 20 July 1929 by George Marchant. Portraits of the benefactors Black and Marchant were unveiled in the dining room; these had been commissioned from Sydney artist
Operations
Despite doubts expressed by others, the Canberra Hotel proved that a high quality hotel could be successful without the sale of alcohol.[1] It was very popular, attracting 442,001 guests between 1930 and 1935. In 1934, a decision was made to add a further 3 storeys with 200 beds in larger bedrooms with private bathrooms; the original architect Arnold Brooks had designed the building to be structurally able to be extended in this way.[5][11] The extensions would make it the largest hotel in Australia.[12]
The Lamplight Bar at the Canberra was the first non-alcoholic bar in Queensland and specialised in
In September 1952, it was announced that a second 11-storey block would be built in Ann Street between the existing hotel and the Brisbane School of Arts to provide another 200 rooms at the cost of £200,000.[13]
Closure and demolition
The temperance league sold the hotel in 1985 and the new owner applied for a liquor license and served alcohol for the first time on the premises on 3 March 1986.[5]
In 1987, the hotel was closed and demolished to build a 104-storey office tower called Central Place, which would have been the world's tallest building at that time; however; that project never commenced. Later an office tower for software developer Mincom was built on the site.[1][5]
Other Canberra Hotels were established or planned in other Queensland towns by the temperance league.
The Queensland Temperance League expanded its range of intervention and support programs from alcohol to include drugs and mental health. In 2015, it operates as Healthy Options Australia and is one of Australia's leading service providers in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services in these areas.[3]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-10-101888-3
- ^ The Brisbane Courier. 1 August 1927. p. 14. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "Our History". Healthy Options. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- The Courier (Brisbane). Brisbane. 29 March 1864. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d e Sinnamon, Myles (2 November 2012). "Sobriety in Ruins: the Demolition of the Canberra Hotel". SLQ blogs. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- The Brisbane Courier. 15 July 1929. p. 12. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. 7 January 1928. p. 24. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. 22 July 1929. p. 14. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. 19 January 1929. p. 23. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Brisbane Courier. 22 July 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THREE STOREYS TO BE ADDED". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 17 August 1934. p. 25. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "RADIO IN EVERY ROOM". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 12 October 1934. p. 21. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "TO COST £200,000". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 8 September 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 25 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.