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THE BROKEN HILL COFFEE PALACE BUILT IN 1888
KNOWN AS THE PALACE HOTEL TODAY)
The Coffee Palace has become a great and important institution within quite a recent date in all cities or towns of importance in Australia, and it was not for a moment to be expected that Broken Hill would be behind in this respect. Even from sanitary point of view the Broken Hill Coffee Palace should prove an unqualified blessing to the town, and conduce considerably to the comfort of our visitors. It is now some months since a number of the leading citizens saw the necessity for such a building and, accordingly, a company was formed and a central and valuable block of land, having a frontage of 70ft. to Argent Street and 175ft. to Sulphide-Street was purchased, and the erection of a three -storey pile of buildings was commenced. Today the Coffee Palace is nearing completion and forms one of the principal landmarks in the town.
The architecture does not appear to be either of Gothic or classic designs, the idea of the architect being simply to give a building graceful in appearance, possessing all the essentials required for a place having the variable climate of Broken Hill-cold in the winter months and great heat in the summer. All these requirements have been attended to, and outside appearance has not suffered in any respect, and the squareness and solidity of the building is relived in the most attractive manner by an immense balcony which extends along the frontage of Argent-and Sulphide-Streets and by the adoption of tuck pointing and two pavilion roofs, better described as squat towers, at each end of the Argent-Street frontage.
Almost a complete fourth storey has been obtained by utilising the foundations, and on the basement floor are to be found a well-lighted billiard-room 48ft. by 18ft. in which there are to be two tables. There are also a sitting-room and bar, and the remainder of the space is taken up by a huge tank to contain 50,000 gallons of water. Among the mechanical arrangements for the comfort of the patrons of the Coffee Palace may be mentioned the excellent water supply for baths, &c, the requisite pressure being obtained by pumping the water into three 400-gallon water tanks on the roof.
The building is expected to be ready for occupation in a couple of months, and Broken Hill will then possess a Coffee Palace which will far surpass anything of the kind in Sydney or Adelaide, and can only be beaten by such palaces as the Grand and Federal in Melbourne. The architect for the building was Mr.Alfred Dunn, A.V.I,A., of Melbourne.
The contractors are Messrs. Hewitt and Smethurst, and the clerk of works is Mr.Alfred Barrett.
TATTERSALL HOUSE
The original Tattersalls Hotel, a weatherboard
_ and iron structure, was erected on this site in 1886.
This was destroyed by fire in 1891 and replaced by the present building in 1892.
When first erected, the building had highly decorative façade and verandah but, in the 1950’s, the face render detailing was removed leaving the present simplified façade.
It is now used as shops, offices and flats.
FREEMASONS HOTEL
The weatherboard Broken Hill was erected on this site in 1886 and replaced by this two-storey stone building in 1891
It was known as the Freemasons Hotel from 1891 until 1969.This was erected as the Commercial Hotel in 1891.
It replaced the original single-storey weatherboard and iron Commercial Hotel
Built in 1886 for William Cummins.
The hotel was remodelled and renamed the Astra in 1954. It was delicensed in 1990.
THEATRE ROYAL HOTEL
The Theatre Royal Hotel wa erected on this site in 1889, replacing a timber and iron hotel which had been erected in 1886.
A large hall, known as the Theatre Royal, was built behind the original hotel.
The theatre was destroyed by fire in 1894 and and reopened in 1907 by J.W. Harris, the licensee of the hotel.
The theatre has been converted to night club. It is one of the few (and largest) hotel theatre buildings remainng in the state.
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