Orient Hotel, Brisbane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orient Hotel, Brisbane |
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Orient Hotel, 2019
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| Location | 560 Queen Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1875 - 1884 |
| Architect | Richard Gailey |
| Official name: Orient Hotel, Excelsior Hotel | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 23 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 602122 |
| Significant period | 1870s, 1880s (fabric) 1875-ongoing (historical use as hotel) |
| Significant components | cellar, service wing, lead light/s |
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The Orient Hotel is a very old hotel in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It's located at 560 Queen Street, right on the corner of Ann Street. This building is special because it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, meaning it's protected for its history. It was first built in 1875 as the Excelsior Hotel and made bigger in 1884. Both parts were designed by a famous Brisbane architect named Richard Gailey.
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The Hotel's Early Days
The Orient Hotel, originally called the Excelsior Hotel, was built in two main steps. It started as a two-storey brick building with a basement in 1875. Then, in 1884, a third floor was added, and the building was made longer towards the south. Both of these building projects were designed by Richard Gailey, a well-known architect from Brisbane.
How the Hotel Started
The hotel was built for a man named John Morse, who ran hotels in Brisbane. He bought a small piece of land at the corner of Queen and Ann streets in 1874. This spot was perfect because it was on Queen Street, which was the main road between Brisbane Town and Fortitude Valley. The area around it, called Petrie's Bight, was growing fast because new wharves were being built nearby.
The Architect: Richard Gailey
Richard Gailey, the architect, moved to Brisbane in 1864. He started his own architecture business in 1865 and worked for almost 60 years. He was especially good at designing hotels. He designed over 30 hotels or made changes to existing ones in Brisbane alone between 1869 and 1895. Many of his biggest and fanciest hotels were built in the 1880s, when Queensland was experiencing a big building boom. The Orient Hotel is the oldest of his hotels in Brisbane that is still open today.
Opening as the Excelsior Hotel
John Morse got a loan in 1875 to help pay for the hotel's construction. By June 1875, the building was finished, and he applied for a license to open it as the Excelsior Hotel. An old drawing from 1881 shows the Excelsior Hotel as a two-storey building with a balcony on the first floor.
The hotel did very well as the area around Petrie's Bight grew. In 1884, Richard Gailey designed the additions, which included adding a third floor and a new three-storey section that stretched from Queen Street to Ann Street. This is how the building got its current shape.
Changes and Modernisation
Around 1888, the hotel was advertised as one of the city's most beautiful buildings. It was described as having everything needed for a big business and comfortable stays for guests. It had great views of the river and surrounding areas. Balconies wrapped around the hotel, with large, comfy rooms opening onto them, providing fresh air.
Updates in the 1930s
The Hotel Orient was updated in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1930, a cold room was installed, and other changes were made by builders working with the hotel owners' architects. The 1930s updates added many beautiful leadlight windows and pressed metal ceilings. The ground floor bar and entrance were also redesigned.
A photo from 1936 shows that the old ground-level posts and awning were replaced with a flat, modern awning. The balconies on the first and second floors were removed, and the French doors were changed into windows. A large neon sign for "CASTLEMAINE XXXX" was placed on the roof. At this time, the hotel had many rooms for guests and staff, and it was popular with travelers.
Later Renovations
More big changes happened around 1956. The main entrance at the corner was no longer used, and people entered the public bar from Queen Street. The first floor was also rearranged to make more space for the hotel manager and staff.
In the early 1980s, even more updates took place. Much of the first floor was changed to create a new dining room, bar, and kitchen. In 1995, the hotel started offering budget accommodation, and bathrooms were added to the rooms on the top floor.
What the Hotel Looks Like Today
The Hotel Orient is a three-storey building made of brick with a hipped corrugated iron roof. It sits on a triangular corner where Queen and Ann Streets meet. Its unique shape and visible location make it a well-known building in the city.
Outside Features
The ground floor has an awning over the Queen Street side and part of the Ann Street side. This awning has fancy pressed metal ceilings and the name "HOTEL ORIENT" in raised letters. The Queen Street side has an entrance with steps leading to recessed doors that have a beautiful leadlight panel above them. The windows along Queen Street have decorative leadlight glass.
The first and second floors have windows with leadlight panes. These windows have continuous hoods (small roofs) above them, supported by shaped timber. The building's walls are covered with a textured finish.
Inside the Hotel
The hotel has a cellar at the southern end, mostly under the Queen Street side. The cellar has brick and stone walls with two arched areas.
On the ground floor, there's a large bar area at the northern end. The corner has a raised stage area. You can see two metal columns in the bar, which might show where old walls used to be. The bar itself has been updated. There's also an entrance area with a reception desk and a staircase leading to the upper floors. This area has pressed metal ceilings and decorative leadlight doors.
The first floor used to have a central lobby. The northern part of this floor has been turned into a nightclub, and many of the original internal walls have been removed. The second floor still has its original layout with a central corridor and rooms on either side. Many of these rooms now have their own bathrooms.
Why the Hotel is Important
The Orient Hotel is important for many reasons. It shows how Brisbane grew and changed, especially in the late 1800s.
A Rare Old Hotel
The Orient Hotel is one of only a few 19th-century hotels left in central Brisbane, making it quite rare. It helps us understand how hotels were designed and changed over time.
Special Design Features
Even with all the updates, the hotel still looks much like it did in the 1870s and 1880s. It shows the main features of a large, three-storey hotel from that time, like its corner location, its original entrance, and its stone cellar. Many of the beautiful updates from the 1930s are still there, including the street awning, window hoods, leadlight windows, and pressed metal ceilings. These features make the building very attractive and important for its architecture.
A City Landmark
The Hotel Orient marks the spot where the Brisbane central business district meets Fortitude Valley. Because of its location on a major road, it's a well-known landmark in the city and has strong social value. It's also important because of its connection to the work of famous architects like Richard Gailey, George Frederick Addison, and Herbert Stanley MacDonald.
