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Attachment to Application Form, Entry of a State Heritage Place inthe Queensland Heritage Register

1. Building Location

The OReillysBuildings comprise three adjacent buildings on Margaret St, Brisbane CBD,specifically 105, 107 and 113 Margaret St.

105 and 107 Margaret St are known as OReillys Bonded and Free Stores, and 113 Margaret St asHotpoint House.Historically, these buildings have collectively been referred to asOReillysBuildings.

Figure 1 illustrates the boundaries (in red) of 105, 107 and 113 Margaret St.

The application includes the easements 113A Margaret St (1RP1075), 111 Margaret Street

(1RP45960) and Lot 2 (RP45960), to the extent that the boundaries of the buildings encroach on

these easements and/or the building operation requires access from the easements.

The application includes the brick or concrete awning above the entrance to 105 Margaret St, marked93-105, which extends into the road reserve. The approximate location of the awning is indicated infigure 1.

2. Features Contributing to Cultural Heritage Significance

OReillys Bonded and Free Stores on No. 105 Margaret St were constructed in 1913. The main

building is a three-level timber and brick structure in the Federation Warehouse style typical for the

early 20th century, featuring plain brickwork facades with (on the Margaret St side) emphasised piers

and grouped windows capped by prominent arches.

The Margaret St faade of No. 107 comprises a single level building with two garage doors. This

building carries the sign OReillys Bonded Stores and Estd 1864, which refers to the original

establishment of the business in another location. Research indicates that this building was

constructed at the same time as the adjoining No 105, in 1913.

The three-level No. 113 Margaret St, or Hotpoint Housebuilding, shares many design features of

the other two buildings with the addition of more sandstone dressings, ornamental cornice and an

embossed Hotpoint House sign under the cornice. Some controversy remains regarding the

construction date however the likely completion date is 1922 or 1923, which will be detailed below.

The three OReillys Buildings providea significant and coherent example of the Federation

Warehouse architectural style that was once widespread in the wharfside districts of Queenslands

largest port. Together with the adjacent Watsons Brothers and HB Salesbuildings, dated 1887 and

1912, they illustrate the evolution of Queensland commercial architecture from 1887 to 1923.

Furthermore, The OReilly Buildings and the OReilly name have an intimate association with the

Australasian Steam Navigation Company (ASNCo) and the vital sea trade between the major

Queensland ports and southern states from the 1850s through to the mid-1900s.

3. History

The establishment of the port of Brisbane was driven by the influx of settlers to the Darling Downs and

the upper reaches of the Brisbane River in the early 1840s. Rural produce, in particular wool, required

a seaport for access to export markets and although Cleveland and Ipswich were strong contenders

the increasing tonnage of ships eventually forced the use of deeper berths along the lower reaches of

Brisbane River. Thus the need for a port became a driver for the conversion of Brisbane to a free

settlement in 1842.


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Dredging of the Brisbane bar commenced as early as 18631and over the following decades wharves

were established on the northern shores of Petries Bightand along Eagle Street to Alice Street.

Wharves were also established on the southern side of the river, along the Kangaroo Point Cliffs and

Southbank, and on North Quay. A snapshot of the extent of city wharves in 1926 is provided in figure

2.

Captain Henry and Charles OReilly

Captain Henry OReilly was born in Ireland in 1824 and became the youngest master mariner ever to

sail out of Dublin. By 1852 he was the captain of a propeller steamer based in Liverpool. Dissatisfied

with his pay and prospects he decided to emigrate with his wife Mary to Australia, and embarked on

the Sydney-bound Athlonwith thirty pounds in my pocket and an implicit trust in divine

providence2.

On arrival in 1853 he was hired by the Australasian Steam Navigation Company (ASN Co) and began

sailing to Brisbane as the captain of the first propeller steamer to ply the route, the City of

Melbourne, and later on the steamers Telegraphand Boomerang. Over the following 10 years he

made 320 voyages between the two cities on board the Telegraph

2

.

ASN Co became one of the leading Australian steamship companies of the late 1800s. The company

built a Brisbane wharf in 18643which eventually expanded to cover most of the Eagle St precinct. By

the 1870s, the company provided weekly services to the Queensland ports of Maryborough,

Gladstone and Rockhampton, and every 10 days a service to Mackay, Broad Sound, Bowen,

Townsville and Cooktown. Steamers left for Sydney twice a week and for the Hunter River four times

per week4. The importance of frequent and reliable steamship services for the growth of trade,

provision of government services and people transport during this period of economic and population

boom cannot be overstated.

In 1863 captain OReilly was appointed manager of the Brisbane ASN Co5and relocated with his

family, initially settling in the house Montpelier on Bowen Hills and later in Toonarbin in SouthBrisbane. The hill on which Montpelier was located later came to be known as OReillys Hill

2.

In 1866 the A.S.N Co constructed new offices and a Bonded Store on Mary Stfor use by Captain

OReillyand another local agent6. A bonded store is a secured area in which dutiable goods may be

stored or manipulated without payment of duty. If the operator of the store is private, a customs bond

is posted with the government until such time that the goods are either exported, destroyed or

withdrawn for domestic consumption after payment of duty7.

Captain OReilly continued the bonded stores and agencies business on ASN Cos premises on Mary

St. until his death in 1877. During his time in Brisbane, his name had become renowned and

intimately connected with the ASN Co and the vital sea trade between Queensland ports and the

southern colonies. A newspaper reported from his funeral8:

The attendance was one of the largest and most respectable that has ever been witnessed at a

funeral in this city, including Sir Maurice O'Connell, Chief Justice Cockle, several members of both

Houses of the Legislature, a number of professional men, nearly all the principal businessmen of the

city, and many others. The Revs. T. Jones and R. Creyke officiated at the internment, and the whole

proceedings showed how general was the esteem with which the deceased was regarded.

The Bonded Stores and agencies passed to his son, Charles OReilly, who was born 1854 and only

23 years of age at the time of his fathers death. The stores continued to operate from the ASN Co

premises on Mary Street and by 1894 a second store had been built on Ann St9.


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The OReilly Bonded and Free Storeson Margaret St

In colonial days the Margaret and lower Albert Street had been referred to as Frog's Hollow, a low-

lying and flood-prone area scattered with residential cottages. Landfill operations in the 1860s and

70s provided ground for workers dwellings, shops, workshops and boarding houses, and in the

booming 1880s the areas proximity the Petrie Bight Wharves made it a principal warehousing

precinct. Development of the neighbourhood slowed during the 1890s depression but resumed in the

first two decades of the 20th century10

.

A newspaper notice from 1912 reported Charles intention to construct new stores and to vacate the

ASN Co property on Mary St11

. An entry in the Brisbane City Council building register from June 1912

documents the approval for a brick warehouse on Margaret St, to be constructed by the local

contractor H Roberts12

. A second newspaper notice from April 1913 confirmed the relocation of the

OReilly Bonded Storesto the new Margaret St address13

.

Contemporary post office directories confirm that the Bonded and Free Stores had the street numbers

93-10514

, corresponding to todays No. 105 as indicated in figure 1.

Hotpoint House

It is likely that Hotpoint House, which was referred to as part of the OReillys Buildings, was built in

1922 or 1923. Evidence supporting this date includes:

Hotpoint House originally occupied Nos. 111-113 Margaret St, which can be confirmed by the

original 113 signage remaining on the building.

In the 1915 and 1921 PO Directories, OReillys Stores were listed on Nos. 93-105 Margaret St

and the next address was the HB Sales Building, occupied by Acme Engineering Works. No

address was listed between these buildings, and the Nos.111-113 were absent14

.

In the 1923 PO Directory, the Nos. 111 and 113 had been added between OReillys Stores and

the HB Sales building14. This indicates a construction of Hotpoint House after 1921 and prior to

1923.

The Brisbane City Council Building Register of November 1921 documents the approval for a

brick warehouse to be constructed on Margaret St by C. OReilly15

. This supports a construction

of Hotpoint House in 1922/23.

The building housed a number of long and short-term tenants over the following decades, including

the oil merchants J. H. Gardiner and John Fell & Co16

. The name Hotpoint House was possibly

added by a later owner, who may have had a stake in this brand of electrical home products.

History after 1923

Charles OReilly died in 192517and his son Harry, the third generation of the family, took over the

business19

.Advertisements for OReillys carriers, shipping and customs agents on 93-115 Margaret

Street featured in the local press until the mid-1950sand possibly beyond. The establishment of the

new port at Fisherman Islands in the late 1970s marked the end of the wharfside industry of central

Brisbane.


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4. Illustrations

Figure 1. Boundary (in red) of the buildings and awning covered by this application.


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Figure 21926 Central Brisbane map with wharves and OReillys Buildings highlighted.1926 Refidex Directory Maps,Central Brisbane Area


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Figure 3Captain Henry OReilly, date unknown. Australian pioneers and reminiscences.Bartley,Nehemiah, Knight, J. J. Brisbane. Gordon and Gotch, 1896

Figure 4Wharves along Petrie Bight, or Circular Quay, date unknown but predating completion ofTown Hall in 1930. Souvenir Brisbane, Views of the City, Suburbs and River. Queensland Book Depot,year unknown.


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Figure 5Advertisement for the Australasian Steam Navigation Company, 1876.Henry OReilly is listed as Brisbane agent. Note the extensive services to otherQueensland ports. Baillieres Queensland Gazetteer and Road Guide, 1876.


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Figure 6Advertisement for Charles OReilley; carrier,bonded warehouseman, shipping, forwarding and customshouse agent, 1913. The picture probably shows the FreeStore on Ann Street. Tours in Central District, QueenslandRailways, 1913.

Figure 7Charles OReilly. Queenslanders as WeSeeem, 1915.


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Figure 8105 Margaret St, viewed from Margaret St


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References

1E.J.T Barton, Jubilee History of Queensland, 1

stEd.

2Christopher Bray, Toonarbin, Biography of a House, 1

stEd.

3

Greenwood and Laverty, Brisbane 18591959, 1

st

Ed.4Baillieres Queensland Gazetteer and Road Guide, 1876.

5The Courier, 7 November 1863, p2

6The Brisbane Courier, 10 November 1866, p5

7Wikipedia, accessed 5 February 2014,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_warehouse

8The Queenslander, 24 February 1877, p28

9Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser. 23 June 1894, p3

10QLD Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Heritage Register, HB Sales Building.

Accessed on 27 January 2014. https://heritage-register.ehp.qld.gov.au/placeDetail.html?siteId=14900

11The Brisbane Courier, 22 May 1912, p5

12Extract from the Brisbane City Council Building Register, 27 June 1912. Plans approved for new

building on Margaret St. Brick bond warehouse. Applicant C. OReilly, contractor H. Roberts of

Adelaide St.

13The Brisbane Courier, 1 April 1913, p7

14Extracts from Post Office Directories, 1915-1923;

1915 directory, Wise. The OReilly Stores and the HB Sales Building (occupied by Acme Engineering Works) are

listed, but no address is listed between these two.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_warehousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_warehousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_warehousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_warehouse


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1921 directory, Wise. Same as 1915 no address listed between OReilly Stores (93-105) and the HB Sales

Building.

1923 directory, Wise. No 111-115 (Hotpoint House) have now been added to the OReilly buildings, occupied by

Fell & Co and Wm Stephenson Motor Engineer.

15Extract from Brisbane City Council Building Register. 30 November 1921. Plans approved for

building on Margaret St. Brick warehouse. Applicant C. OReilly, contractor H. Roberts of Adelaide St.

16Miscellaneous Post Office Directories, Wise 1923 and Wise 1937, Wise 1941

17The Brisbane Courier, 7 April 1925, P6

18RHSQ, The Genesis of the Port of Brisbane, 1933


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5. Cultural Heritage Criteria

Criterion A. The OReilly Buildings and the OReilly name, which features prominently on the building

signage, have an intimate association with the Australasian Steam Navigation Company (ASN Co)

and the vital sea trade between the major Queensland ports and the southern Australian colonies in

the late 1800s. The buildings further demonstrate the evolution and expansion of Queenslands

portside industry, caused by a rapidly increasing population and trade, in the early 1900s.

Criterion B. The buildings constitute a remnant of the formerly extensive wharfside warehouse

architecture of Queenslands largest port.

Criterion C. The OReilly Buildings provide a historical continuity to the heritage listed and adjoining

Watsons Brothers and HB Sales buildings, both light industrial and warehouse buildings dated

1887 and 1912. Together, the group of buildings illustrate the evolution of Queensland commercial

architecture from 1887 to 1923.

Criterion D. The buildings demonstrate the principal characteristics of the Federation Warehouse

architectural style, with plain face brickwork facades and ornamental details typical for the

construction years of 1913 and 1922/23

Criterion E.The buildings are significant for their streetscape contribution to Margaret Street in terms

of the scale and rhythm of the facades, and style compatibility with the adjoining (and heritage listed)

Watsons Brothers and HB Salesbuildings.

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