677 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley

From the 1860s the population of the Valley grew, having over 1000 residents by this time. The commercial nature of the Valley was also beginning to emerge. Most commercial activity in this period was centred between Ann, Brunswick and Wickham Streets. The improvement of access from the city centre to the Valley due to the levelling of Duncan’s Hill between the two areas in the 1870s assisted the growth of this part of Brisbane

In the last two decades of the nineteenth century the population of the Valley increased even more, and with this the commercial nature of the Valley centre grew with relatively large scale construction in the area. As this occurred those living within the centre began to move to more suburban areas such as New Farm and Bowen Hills. By the turn of the century the valley heart was commercially dominated and the buildings were of a more substantial nature.

The success of the Valley commercial area at the turn of the century saw large traders such as TC Beirne, McWhirters and Overells department stores encourage shoppers to the Valley. Efficient public transport systems such as electric trams and trains to and through the Valley contributed to the commercial success of the area. In the late twentieth century the Ann Street premises housed several small shops and a residence. 

The 1920s was a decade of further growth in Fortitude Valley, with its success as a commercial and industrial hub. In this decade the cutting on Duncan’s Hill for Ann Street was widened, opening the Valley even further to the rest of Brisbane, allowing a greater volume of traffic into the area.

From 1918 the property was jointly owned by Robert John McNab and William James Trotter. Both were solicitors in the Brisbane legal firm Chambers, McNab and McNab. They envisaged the commercial potential of this area and desired to build a set of offices and shops on the premises. In June 1923 plans were approved for the construction of a two-storied brick commercial building on Ann Street. The architect was respected architect E. M. Meyers. 

Meyers was an accomplished Brisbane architect, initially articled to John Hall and Son’s firm in the late 1870s and then becoming a partner in 1891 after the death of John Hall. By 1895 Meyers had established his own architectural practice. Myers mostly designed residential and commercial buildings in Brisbane. He served as the honorary architect on the Brisbane Hebrew Synagogue’s Board of Management, and designed and built the interior renovation of the Synagogue in 1906. Myers served as secretary of the Queensland Institute of Architects from 1900 to 1905 and vice-president from 1912 to 1923. 

The newly constructed shops and offices were leased in 1925 to various businesses including a jeweller, a hairdresser and a music shop. McNab’s son Dudley Alexander inherited the title in 1928 after his father’s death; he too was a solicitor with his own firm, McNab and Dowling, and became sole owner in 1938 following the death of Trotter. 

In 1951 the property was purchased by the Meat and Allied Trades Federation of Australia.  Established in 1942, this union was established to help ensure its members’ rights at work and to maintain acceptable safety standards within the industry. At the same time the Australian Builder’s Labourer’s Federation, Queensland branch was established in nearby 697 Ann Street, Tyrrell House. For many Brisbane workers, this area of Ann Street was associated with trade unions and played an important role in their working lives.                                

The building is presently a thriving nightclub that utilises both the downstairs and upstairs areas for dance floors and bars. As a meeting centre for Brisbane’s gay community, the Beat plays an important role in the lives of many Brisbane residents. Although the interior of the building has been altered the exterior is intact and as such plays an important role in the historic streetscape of this part of Ann Street.

1. Queensland Post Office Directories

2. Watson, Donald and Judith McKay. A Directory of Queensland Architects to 1940. (St. Lucia: U of Q Press, 1984)

3. Detail Fire Survey: City of Brisbane, 1951, Mahlstedt’s: Consulting Fire Engineers and Surveyors, Melbourne

4. Metropolitan Water and Sewage Survey Maps, 1914

5. North Brisbane Electoral Rolls, 1898 and 1900