Adelaide Street, c1860

News of the day

Moreton Bay Courier

Sat 15 Sept 1860

NORTH AUSTRALIAN HOTEL, ADELAIDE-STREET, NORTH BRISBANE

JOHN JONES, late of St. Patrick's Tavern, Queen-street, begs to return his sincere thanks to the public for the liberal patronage he had received since he commenced to cater for the wants of visitors; and also to announce that he has opened those large and commodious premises in Adelaide-street, which he has had erected for the especial purpose as the "NORTH AUSTRALIAN HOTEL," at which place will be found wines and spirits of the best brands, a liberally supplied table for boarders and every comfort and convenience to recommend the "NORTH AUSTRALIAN HOTEL" to visitors.

Background

Under the provisions of the City of Brisbane Improvement Act 1916 and the Local Authorities Act Amendment Act 1923 the Brisbane City Council contributed significantly to the 1920s building boom, with a programme of city beautification and street improvements, including the cutting down and widening of several of the principal thoroughfares. From 1923 to 1928 the Brisbane City Council implemented its most ambitious town improvement scheme to that date: the widening of Adelaide Street by 14 feet along its entire length. Resumptions in Adelaide Street had commenced in the 1910s, but work on the street widening did not take place until the 1920s.

The work was undertaken in stages, commencing in 1923 at the southern end where the new Brisbane City Hall was under construction. Some buildings had the front section removed and a contemporary facade installed on the new road alignment. Elsewhere, earlier buildings were demolished and substantial new structures took their place. At the northern end of Adelaide Street the cutting down of the hill below St John's Cathedral in 1928 facilitated greater access to Petrie Bight, which, close to new city wharves at the end of Boundary Street, boomed in the 1920s as a warehousing district.

 

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