Tag: Broadway Hotel

Broadway Hotel: Neglected Heritage Landmark Up for Restoration

A major restoration is underway for the heritage-listed Broadway Hotel along Logan Road in Woolloongabba and its owners plan to rebuild the iconic building as the Breakfast Creek Hotel of the southeast side.

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Broadway Projects Pty Ltd bought the neglected property from Malcolm Nyst in 2021. The site has existing approved plans to demolish the WWII bomb shelter, alongside some of the rear extensions. 

The new owners hired Carbone Developments to be involved with the restoration under the guidance of heritage architect Ivan McDonald. Carbone Developments has many projects involving heritage builds.

A spokesperson for the company said that the demolition process will be painstaking as they have to remove the concrete by hand to preserve the other structure and ensure it won’t be knocked down.

Though some locals opposed the removal of the WWII bomb shelter due to its history, Carbone Developments said they had many positive meetings with the Department of Environment and Science to discuss the restoration. 

Broadway Hotel in 1929
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland

The company’s long-term plans for the Broadway Hotel include building a 20-storey residential site next to the pub. However, the focus for the moment is to restore the pub, which could take more than a year. 

A development application for the residential project has yet to be lodged as the new owners still have to gauge how the venue, once wholly restored, will click with the community.

Broadway Hotel was entered into the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. Two major fires damaged the three-storey octagonal building, which become a place for vandals after years of neglect. 

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Broadway Hotel Owner Advised to Carry Out Works to Protect Building

Broadway Hotel in June 2018 (Photo Credit: Google Street View)

In order to ensure that Broadway Hotel will be protected and stabilised, the Brisbane City Council has issued an enforcement notice requiring its owner to carry out essential work.

According to Minister for Environment Leanne Enoch, the State Government has welcomed the tribunal’s decision to uphold Council’s Enforcement Notice, which was issued after calls from the Palaszczuk Government for Council to do its job and utilise its more extensive powers under the Building Act.

“The Tribunal’s ruling upholds Council’s authority to compel the owner to carry out any necessary works to stabilise and preserve the building,” Ms Enoch said. She said the Department of Environment and Science had commissioned several expert reports after a fire at the unoccupied former hotel in September 2018.

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“The reports confirmed the fire had not compromised the building’s overall structural stability, and only limited demolition was necessary,” she said. “However, the reports showed that temporary propping of masonry walls was required and a new roof was needed to ensure the building’s long-term preservation.”

The Minister for Environment placed a Stop Order on the site after the hotel was ravaged by fire. In November 2018, BCC issued a Show Cause, wherein the owner responded that the building is beyond repair due to compromised structural integrity.

Ms Enoch added that it will be up to the owner to ensure essential work is carried out to ensure the building continues to be protected. The current owner of the hotel is Malcolm Nyst, a general practitioner who also owns the hotel’s neighbouring vacant office building at 44 Balaclava Street. He bought the Broadway Hotel for $700,000 in 1998. 

About the Broadway Hotel

Broadway Hotel in 1991 (Photo Credit: apps.des.qld.gov.au)

The Broadway Hotel was built in 1889-90 for Brisbane publican Michael McKenna, formerly of the nearby Woolloongabba Hotel. The hotel site is at 93 Logan Road, Woolloongabba. It was designed by John Hall & Son and built by Wooley & Whyte. John Hall & Son is known for executing the designs of several hotels across Brisbane, including Oriental Hotel, Pineapple Hotel, and the Edinburgh Castle Hotel.

It was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. It has eclectic style and it serves as a great example of late Victorian  architecture in Brisbane. 

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