Empire Hotel, Fortitude Valley
| Empire Hotel | |
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Empire Hotel, 2014
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| Location | 339 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°27′32″S 153°02′06″E / 27.4588°S 153.0351°ECoordinates: 27°27′32″S 153°02′06″E / 27.4588°S 153.0351°E |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1888, 1925, 1937 |
| Architect | Richard Gailey, Richard Gailey, Junior, Hall and Phillips |
| Official name: Empire Hotel | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600199 |
| Significant period | 1888-1937 (fabric) 1888- ongoing (historical use) |
| Significant components | elevator, cellar, toilet block/earth closet/water closet |
| Builders | Smith and Ball |
 Location of Empire Hotel in Queensland
Location of Empire Hotel in Queensland
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Empire Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 339 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built in 1888 by Smith and Ball. It was renovated in 1925 to a design by Richard Gailey, Junior. It was further renovated in 1937 to incorporate apartments designed by Hall and Phillips. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
This three-storeyed, rendered brick hotel was erected in 1888 for Nathaniel Corrigan. It replaced an earlier Empire (Family) Hotel (1865) which had been bought by Corrigan on 19 June 1871 for £950.
The new hotel was designed by prominent architect Richard Gailey who also designed the nearby Prince Consort Hotel, Wickham Hotel and Jubilee Hotel. The construction of these hotels in the late 1880s reflected the confidence of the period and development that occurred in Fortitude Valley.
The Empire was constructed by Smith and Ball Contractors and the first publican was Walter McFarlane. The hotel extended 130 ft (39m) along Ann Street and 120 ft (36m) along Brunswick Street, and contained over sixty rooms.
In Feburary 1923, following the death of Nathaniel Corrigan, the hotel and adjoining buildings were sold to Messrs Perkins & Co (brewers) for about £40,000.
The hotel was renovated in 1925 to plans by Richard Gailey Jnr and again in 1937 to plans by architects Hall and Phillips. This latter work involved converting part of the Ann Street section to the "Empire Apartments". These apartments were later demolished in the 1960s, reducing the Ann Street frontage from seven bays to three. The original convex iron and post awning has been replaced by one with a cantilevered design.
A rendered building constructed of brick and stone, the Empire Hotel is located at a prominent intersection in Fortitude Valley. It consists of a main three storeyed L-shaped structure with basement, a two storeyed section on the south-western end facing Brunswick Street, a one storeyed skillion roofed section adjoining the rear of the main building, and a detached one-storeyed rendered masonry toilet block, also at the rear.
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