Comino's Arcade facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Comino's Arcade |
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Comino's Arcade, 2007
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| Location | 133-137 Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Official name: Comino's Arcade | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 6 March 2009 |
| Reference no. | 602692 |
| Significant period | 1940s |
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Comino's Arcade is a special old building in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia. It's a three-storey brick building that used to be a busy shopping area. It was built by a Greek businessman named Arthur Comino between 1942 and 1944. This was during World War II, when many soldiers were visiting Redcliffe for rest and fun. The arcade reminds us of Redcliffe's past as a popular holiday spot by the sea and its exciting history during the war.
Comino's Arcade was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 March 2009. This means it's an important building that needs to be protected because of its history and design.
Contents
History of Comino's Arcade
Redcliffe: A Popular Seaside Holiday Spot
Redcliffe became popular in the late 1800s. People thought going to the sea was good for their health. It was a good spot because it had calm waters for swimming, unlike big surf beaches. It was also close to Brisbane.
In the 1880s, land was sold for "Marine Residences" (holiday homes). This helped Redcliffe become known as a seaside resort. People came by train to Sandgate and then by boat to Redcliffe. Jetties were built at Woody Point (1882) and Redcliffe Point (1885) for the boats. By 1890, about 10,000 visitors came each year!
Redcliffe was mostly a holiday place until the late 1930s. In 1921, its permanent population was only 1,631. But things changed when better roads were built. ANZAC Avenue opened in 1925. Then, in 1935, the Hornibrook Highway Toll Bridge opened. This bridge connected Redcliffe to Brisbane, making it much easier to get there.
After the bridge, Redcliffe grew very quickly. Between 1933 and 1940, it was one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia. The number of homes increased from 536 to 1,865. The population grew from 2,008 in 1933 to 6,000 by 1940. Even though it became a place where people lived, Redcliffe was still a popular holiday spot.
The Comino Family and Greek Cafes
Athanasi (Arthur) Stavrou Comino was a businessman who saw potential in Redcliffe. He was born on the Greek island of Kythera in 1880. Many people from Kythera, including Arthur's brothers, moved to Australia. They often opened cafes and food businesses.
Arthur's brother, John S. Comino, came to Australia in 1901. He worked in Sydney and Lismore before buying a cafe in Bundaberg. Other Comino brothers, including Arthur, joined him.
In 1919, Arthur married Mary Comino in Kythera. They moved back to Australia in 1921 and ran the Central Cafe in Laidley for 25 years. Arthur visited Redcliffe in 1922 and loved it. He started looking for a good investment.
In 1938, he bought land where Comino's Arcade now stands. At that time, there was a boarding house called Moreton Vista there. Arthur planned to build shops with living quarters above. However, in June 1941, a fire destroyed the Moreton Vista boarding house and other shops on the site.
The Comino family was part of a big trend of Greek cafes in Australia. The first Greek cafe was opened in Sydney in 1873 by Arthur D. Comino (another family member). Many young Greeks from Kythera followed, working in cafes and then opening their own. By the 1930s, there was at least one Greek cafe in almost every town and city in Queensland. These cafes became important social places in many country towns until the 1960s.
Building the Arcade During Wartime
During World War II, many cafes struggled due to rationing and staff shortages. But cafes near military bases did very well, especially those near American soldiers.
Redcliffe became a popular place for soldiers on "Rest and Recreation" leave during World War II. Many American and Australian troops were stationed nearby. They were part of the defence of Moreton Bay and the Brisbane area, which was important for the Allied war effort against Japan.
Military facilities were set up around Redcliffe. The jetty was heavily used by Navy ships. Places like the Pier Theatre, Luna Park, and the Redcliffe Rollerdrome (a skating rink) were popular entertainment spots near the jetty.
With so many soldiers in Redcliffe, Arthur Comino saw a great opportunity. After the fire, he planned a completely new and ambitious building. Building during the war was hard because of rules and shortages of materials. But Arthur got special permission to rebuild his boarding house.
Arthur was a stonemason, like his father. He used his skills to build the arcade himself, supervising the project. The Redcliffe Town Council checked his plans in 1941. Construction started in 1942, and the shops were finished in 1944. The building itself has a sign saying it was built between 1939 and 1942, but this doesn't match the fire in 1941.
Architects G Meek and Shaw designed the arcade. The original idea was for a two-storey building with a "flying bridge" tower. But during construction, a third storey was added, changing the design.
The finished building was made of brick and reinforced concrete, with terrazzo and tiled floors. It had an arcade and shops on the ground floor. These included a cafe, a dress shop, a lottery agency, and a photographer. The first floor had Arthur's family flat and bedrooms for guests. The second floor had more bedrooms and a large ballroom with a terrazzo floor. This meant the building was a mix of a boarding house, shops, a Greek cafe, and a dance hall. It was first called the Acropolis Building.
The cafe was very busy with service personnel during the war. The Comino family moved into the first-floor flat in 1946 after selling their cafe in Laidley.
In December 1946, Redcliffe's first nightclub, "The Ace of Clubs," opened in the ballroom. An advertisement from 1949 promoted the "Panorama Dance Palais" for weddings and parties. The Acropoly Cafe and Milk Bar were also advertised. Sadly, Arthur died in December 1949 from a fall while working on his arcade.
The ballroom was later used by the Redcliffe Art Society from 1975 to 1982. A rear extension to the arcade, connecting it to Sutton Street, was finished in 1968. Members of the Comino family owned the original arcade until 2003.
What Comino's Arcade Looks Like
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Comino's Arcade is on Redcliffe Parade, facing the beach. It looks out over Queen's Beach and the Redcliffe jetty. It's a three-storey brick building. On the ground floor, there's a shopping arcade. The second floor has offices, and the top floor has a tall ballroom with small bedrooms.
The building is wide and tall, standing out from the smaller buildings along Redcliffe Parade. It has a simple, modern look with stepped brick walls. It has casement windows and concrete awnings (shades) above the windows. The roof of the ballroom is hidden behind the front wall. There's a central balcony on the second level, above the street awning.
On the ground floor, there are four shops next to the arcade entrance. The columns on this level are made of terrazzo. You can still see some original mosaic tiling on one of the shopfronts.
The sides and back of the building are also made of brick. The ballroom level has enclosed verandahs on the sides. The back of the building also has a stepped wall like the front. Both the sides and back have casement windows. The ballroom has high-level louvre windows.
The arcade on the ground floor lets people walk through the building. The shopfronts inside the arcade have tall glass windows. The floors are made of sandy-coloured terrazzo, and the walls and ceilings are painted plaster.
You can reach the second and upper floors by a masonry staircase at the back. The floors in these areas are made of colourful terrazzo tiles with a checkered border. The walls and ceilings are painted plaster. The doors and windows are made of clear-finished timber. The ballroom has a fibre-cement ceiling and special half-moon shaped lights on the walls.
A rear extension was built in 1968 to connect Comino's Arcade to Sutton Street. This newer part is not included in the heritage listing.
Why Comino's Arcade is Important
Comino's Arcade was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 March 2009. This means it's recognized as a very important place for several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history changed: It helps us understand how hotels and shops developed in Queensland, especially in seaside towns, during the first half of the 1900s. It also shows Redcliffe's role as a major seaside resort from the 1880s to the 1950s.
- It's a great example of a 1940s entertainment spot: It was a place where people could find a cafe, shops, a dance hall, and rooms to stay in. It was close to other fun places, especially during World War II when it was a "Rest and Recreation" centre for soldiers.
- It shows the influence of Greek immigrants: The arcade is a result of many Greeks from the island of Kythera moving to Queensland. They played a big part in shaping the food and hospitality industry in the state.
- It shows early modern architecture: The building's design, with its plain brick front, simple top, and concrete window shades, was quite new for its time. These features became very common in buildings after the war in the 1950s and 1960s.
