418 Adelaide St

The scene in the photograph below shows people lining the streets at the intersection of Queen St and Adelaide St at Petrie Bight. It was taken in 1954, when the citizens of Brisbane were lining up for a look at the new queen, Elizabeth II. However, what we are interested in today is the building in the centre rear of the picture, below St John's Cathedral. "Castlemaine Perkins Limited" it says, in big letters along the side. They are were the makers of Queensland's popular XXXX beer, and this was their head office. (Queensland's iconic beer has had a slew of owners in the last few years - the rot started when Alan Bond bought it, then it went to Lion Nathan, who have now been taken over by Japanese brewing giant Kirin. My father, a WWII digger who fought the Japanese in New Guinea and was very partial to his XXXX, would surely not understand this new world order.)
(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #129007) 1954

The original building on this site was constructed around the year 1900, on land hewn out of the cliff face in Adelaide St below the big house previously owned by Dr Hobbs that had been used as our first Government House. It was a warehouse, subsequently acquired by Castlemaine Brewery in 1910. After the end of WWI, the company engaged architect TR Hall to adapt and improve the original construction. He was later to be involved with the design of City Hall. The renovated three-story building had very modern fittings and staff amenities, and further work was performed by Addison and Macdonald in 1930 and again in 1935.
(Photo: © 2010 the foto fanatic)

Castlemaine Perkins sold the building in 1985, but the handsome building remains occupied by a leading architectural firm, and my photograph (above) shows how it looks today. The date at the top of the building (1871) refers to the origins of the Castlemaine Perkins brewing business.

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