McWhirters
 Wickham Street entrance | |
| Location | Fortitude Valley, Brisbane Australia |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1898 |
| No. of floors | 3 - 5 |
McWhirters is a shopping centre and apartment building in Fortitude Valley an inner city suburb of Brisbane, Australia. The buildings occupy over an acre of land bound by Brunswick, Wickham, and Warner Streets.
Design
At the corner of Brunswick and Wickham Streets is the most iconic building of the McWhirters complex. Built 1930-31 it is art deco in style features a commanding facade that was designed by the Brisbane architectural firm of T.R. Hall and L.B. Phillips, who also designed the Brisbane City Hall.[1]
History
In 1898, Scotsman James McWhirter started a business called McWhirter and Son, Drapers that soon expanded into a sophisticated department store.[1] At the time a total of 30 staff were employed in the store.[2] By 1909 this figure had risen to 270 and the owners had made a number of purchases of adjoining buildings.. The store was one of the largest in Brisbane, in a shopping precinct that rivalled the central business district for the range of shops available.[2]
In 1955 the Myer Emporium took over the McWhirters company and eventually renamed the store Myer, operating until 1988 by which time both its rival department stores, T C Beirne (David Jones) and Waltons, had already closed down. The area had become much less desirable as a shopping district [2] mostly due to the rise of outer suburban shopping complexes such as Westfield Chermside and due to the declining reputation and quality of the suburb that had begun as far back as the 1970s. Myer then concentrated its inner-city business in its Queen Street store (formerly Allan & Stark) in the CBD. After some renovations, the complex reopened in 1989 as McWhirters Marketplace.[2]McWhirters Market Place Queensland in December 1989. Stan Doric (standing) with some of the Queensland’s discerning consumers.
In 1997, it was altered to include apartments on the upper levels, which did not prosper as shops.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gregory, Helen (2007). Brisbane Then and Now. Wingfield, South Australia: Salamander Books. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-74173-011-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "McWhirters Marketplace (entry 14989 )". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
External links
- "McWhirters". The Fashion Archives. 5 March 2015. — more information about the McWhirters business
Coordinates: 27°27′26.77″S 153°02′02.27″E / 27.4574361°S 153.0339639°E