Empire Hotel, Dunedin facts for kids
The Empire Hotel is a very old building in Dunedin, New Zealand. It's also known as the Empire Tavern. This historic building is found on Princes Street, a bit southwest of the city centre. For many years, from the 1850s to the 1990s, it was a popular place where people could gather, eat, and drink. Today, the building is empty, but it is still important because it is listed as a Category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand. This means it's a very special building that tells us a lot about New Zealand's past.
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The Empire Hotel's Story
The Empire Hotel has always been a big part of Dunedin's history and culture.
Early Days: A Gathering Place
The hotel first opened in 1858, just ten years after Dunedin was founded. It was started by J.W. Feger and was first called The Queen's Arms. The building was in a great spot, close to the city's main wharf. Back then, much of the land near the harbour wasn't built up yet. This made the hotel a central meeting point for people. It offered places to stay, food, and drinks.
Just three years later, the Otago Gold Rush began. This brought many people to Dunedin, and the hotel became the heart of a busy area full of entertainment. The brick building you see today was built in 1879. It was designed by Thomas Bedford Cameron and replaced the first wooden structure. The hotel's name changed a few times: to the Union Hotel in 1890, and then to the Empire Hotel in 1898.
Home of the Dunedin Sound
In the 1980s, the Empire Hotel became super important for music. It was a key place for the growth of Dunedin's unique music style, known around the world as the Dunedin sound.
Under the owners John and Maureen Simpson, the upstairs bar became a main stage for many famous bands. Groups like The Chills, The Verlaines, and The Clean played there often. Even though the hotel is now closed, many people still see the Empire as the true home of the Dunedin sound.
Dr. Graeme Downes, who started The Verlaines, said that the Empire Hotel was like the Cavern Club in Liverpool. The Cavern Club was where The Beatles became famous. He explained that the Empire Hotel helped a local music scene grow. This music scene is now known by people who love alternative music all over the world.
The Hotel Building's Design
The Empire Hotel is part of a special area with many old buildings. These buildings show off the styles of Victorian and Edwardian times. Several of them are also listed as historic places.
Changes to the Exterior
The hotel building has three floors. For many years, its front was plain and covered in plaster, with a metal fire escape on the outside. There are two arched doors at the ground level, one at each end.
When the hotel was first built, it had more fancy decorations on its outside. But much of this was taken off in the late 1900s. In the 2010s, the building had a big makeover. Many of its outside features were replaced or rebuilt. This included bringing back columns, special stone parts called imposts, and decorative strips called cornices. A new roof edge, called a parapet, was also added, which included a fancy railing called a balustrade. The old fire escape, which had become unsafe, was also removed during this work.
Inside the Hotel
Some of the special items and decorations inside the Empire Hotel actually came from another old building. These pieces were once part of Cargill's Castle, which has mostly been taken down now.
