Beehive Corner facts for kids

A close-up of the Beehive Corner building.

Beehive Corner in 1849.

Beehive Corner and Waterhouse Chambers in 1866.

Looking towards Rundle Mall from King William Street at night.

The Beehive Corner is a famous building in the heart of Adelaide city centre, Australia. It stands on the corner of King William Street and Rundle Mall. This spot is very important because it's right between the train station and the main shopping area.

The Story of Beehive Corner

The name "Beehive Corner" comes from a shop called "The Beehive." This shop sold fabrics and clothing, and it first opened in October 1849. The name was chosen by the original owners to show that it was a very busy place for trading, just like a beehive is a busy place for bees!

Over the years, different people owned "The Beehive" shop. Israel Simmons ran it for a long time, from 1858 until 1886. The shop even had a special beehive design made of gold on its glass door.

Building a New Beehive

By 1895, the original building was quite old. So, the owner, Henry Martin, decided to build a brand new structure. This new building is mostly what we see today and is called the Beehive Buildings.

The new design was created by an architect named George Klewitz Soward. It was a tall building with three floors above the street. It had a special style called Gothic, with fancy decorations at the top.

Special Features of the New Building

The new Beehive Buildings had many cool features:

• There were four shops facing King William Street and three shops facing Rundle Street.
• Each shop had large glass windows to show off the goods inside.
• At the main corner, there was a decorative tower, or "turret."
• On top of this turret sat a shiny, golden beehive with a bee!
• The words 'Beehive Corner 1895' were carved into the tower.
• The building also had strong granite pillars and a beautiful iron balcony.

Haigh's Chocolates at the Corner

In 1950, a well-known chocolate maker, C. A. Haigh, bought the main corner part of the building. His famous shop, Haigh's Chocolates, had been renting that spot for about 35 years before he bought it. It's still a very popular chocolate shop today!

Modern Updates

The unique look of the building, with its Gothic style and prominent tower, was given a fresh new look in 1998. This helped to keep the historic building looking great for many more years.