Addresses
Type of place
Hotel (pub)
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Functionalist
Waterloo Hotel
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Waterloo Hotel
Waterloo Hotel
Addresses
Type of place
Hotel (pub)
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Functionalist
The Waterloo Hotel was constructed circa 1937 for Queensland Brewery Limited and designed by architects Addison & MacDonald. It was built on the site of the former Breakfast Creek Hotel. During the 1930s Newstead was at its peak as a busy industrial and shipping area with the hotel serving the working-class population living and working in the area.The two-storey masonry hotel was built in the Interwar Functionalist style with interior and exterior Art Deco motifs.
Lot plan
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Walls: MasonryPeople/associations
Addison and MacDonald (Architect)Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
Lot plan
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Walls: MasonryPeople/associations
Addison and MacDonald (Architect)Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
History
The Waterloo Hotel was constructed circa 1937 for Queensland Brewery Limited who purchased the corner site in 1936.
This was not the only Waterloo Hotel to have been constructed on this site. The first, a wooden structure, was built around 1880-1881 for Elizabeth Wheeler, a widow. It was known at the time as Mrs Wheeler’s hotel. By this time the flats of the Valley and New Farm were home to many of Brisbane’s working class families. The other hotels in the district were the Shamrock (1861), Empire (1865), Brunswick (1880) – all on Brunswick Street, and the earlier Queens Arms on James Street, licensed in 1856.
Renowned for the number of its hotels, Brisbane had 117 hotels to service a population of just over 47,000 in 1881. According to Lawson these pubs functioned primarily as working men’s clubs. Prior to the turn of the century, the original wooden hotel was replaced by a more pretentious brick building. In accordance with the working hours of the time, all but two of Brisbane’s hotels traded illegally on Sunday by 1901, when the volume of trade was as great, if not greater, than on weekdays. As the population in Newstead Teneriffe grew, and local industries developed, the Waterloo would undoubtedly have fulfilled this function for those living in the vicinity.
In the early twentieth century, with the development of this area as a major shipping and distribution centre, the demands on the Waterloo Hotel as a social amenity burgeoned. On 20 November 1896 the third resolution of the local option clauses of the Licensing Act “That no new licenses be granted” was carried by a large majority of the residents of the area. Despite several attempts to overturn this resolution, it was carried on each occasion by an increasing majority. Hence the Waterloo Hotel remained one of only two hotels in the Booroodabin Division in 1900. From 1910, Castlemaine Brewery held a lease on the site, sub-leasing to various licensees.
By the 1930s the industrial and residential development of the area was at its peak. Situated at the junction of several major transport routes, the development potential of the property was recognised by Castlemaine’s competitor, Queensland Brewery Ltd, which purchased the site in 1936. The new Waterloo Hotel was constructed soon after. It was designed by architects Addison & MacDonald who had both major breweries – Castlemaine Brewery and Queensland Brewery – as their clients during their partnership between 1928 and 1947.
Major alterations were made to the building during 1938-1939 and again in 1964. The later alterations included enlarging of the public bar, construction of a drive-in bottle department, a new lounge and the complete renovation of the ground floor.
Although this building has undergone extensive alterations over the years, the basic form of the exterior is still apparent and some original detailing remains intact. The rounded corner, corner balcony, horizontal fins and vertical motifs are typical features of the Interwar Functionalist style. The building serves as a prominent landmark on a major entry into the New Farm – Newstead/Teneriffe area. In 1966, Freeland argued that pubs are among the most socially significant, historically valued, architecturally interesting and colourful features of Australian society. The present Waterloo Hotel provides evidence of each of these attributes.
Statement of significance
Relevant assessment criteria
This is a place of local heritage significance and meets one or more of the local heritage criteria under the Heritage planning scheme policy of the Brisbane City Plan 2014. It is significant because:
References
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Brisbane City Council Properties on the Web
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Brisbane City Council, 1946 aerial photographs.
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Brisbane City Council, Sewerage Maps, Detail Plan 5 March 1914
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Brisbane City Council, Surveyor’s Notebook, 7 Dec 1948
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DERM. Land titles information
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Freeland, J.M., Australian Pub, 1966: MUP, Melbourne
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Ivan McDonald, Conservation Architect
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Credit Union Australia Building, 501 Ann Street, Brisbane Conservation Plan. Prepared for FAI Property Services Pty Limited by Robert Irving and Christopher Pratten Heritage Consultants, October 1991
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)