83-89 Victoria Street
83-89 Victoria Street’s history can be traced back to the 1890s. Prior to the Grand Central Hostel’s construction, the land belonged to John Donovan which he used to run his Livery Stable, hiring out carriages and horses for the local community (reference; reference). John’s business was engaged to cart stone by the Bunbury Municipal Council on two separate occasions in 1895 (reference; reference). A year before, John first appeared in the newspaper as a hero, assisting in dowsing a fire that had caught in the Hands Building roof on Stephens Street in Bunbury on Saturday 1 December 1894 (reference). He donated his money to his community £1 and 10s respectively for 1st and 2nd prize for the 1896 Grand Water Carnival skull-pair event (reference) and a £1 prize for in Class D Carriage Horses at the Wellington Agricultural and Pastoral Society Annual Spring Show held at the Bunbury Recreation Ground (reference). In addition to working and donating prize money, John raced his horse, Lady Forrest, in an athletic sports meeting in Karridale on December 24 1896 (reference). John was not perfect, and was fined 5s at the Bunbury Police Court in March 1898 for being involved in a ‘vulgar row’ (reference). In 1899, John had Fred Timpley sell his land and Livery Stable, Lot 191 Victoria Street, to Charles Eggleston (reference; reference; reference).
The new owner, Charles Eggleston, was the proprietor of the Federal Hotel in Bunbury (now the Highway Hotel) (reference). In 1910, Charles began to look for builders to erect a two-storied Temperance hotel (known as a Coffee Palace), designed by architect Eustace Cohen (reference). Upon finding builders and having commenced construction, new advertisements in the local paper announced that Charles was searching for someone to lease his property after the estimated completion date, 17 December 1910 (reference). In November the decision was made that Mr John James Gills of Victoria Street was to be the first to lease the Grand Central Coffee Palace (reference).
Almost immediately after approval, John Jame’s wife, Mary Ellen, began applying for the licence required to run an eating, boarding and lodging house (reference). As the couple already ran a Coffee Palace, Toronto House, also on Victoria Street, Mary took over managing the new establishment while waiting for their old lease to expire (reference; reference). In 1911, a year after opening, extensions were added to the Coffee Palace, a hotel that offered electric light, hot and cold baths and electric fans to its guests (reference). In 1915 the Gill’s lease at Toronto House ended and began working together managing the Grand Central Coffee Palace (reference).
The Grand Central Coffee Palace was advertised as a family-friendly alcohol-free accommodation option close to the Bunbury Railway and Lyric Theatre (reference). It also served as a place for employment for Bunbury locals, offering positions such as general duties, waitressing and house cleaning (reference; reference; reference; reference; reference). Groups such as the Bunbury branch Metropolitan Shop Assistants’ Union used the premises for meetings (reference), and travelling practitioners, such as the qualified optician, H M Leighton, also made use of the premises (reference).
The Grand Central Coffee Palace changed hands in 1926 when Blanche Lewin purchased the property from Charles Egglestone (reference). For the next two decades, Blanche ran the Grand Central Coffee Palace as the Grand Central Hostel. During these years, sections of the building were possibly leased to other businesses. The Coffee Palace’s display windows along Victoria Street were also occasionally used to advertise other businesses, such as Corot & Co in 1934 (reference).
At the end of 1935, the Bunbury Cafe was formed at 85-89 Victoria Street, most likely in Blanche’s building (reference). The shop sold a range of food including soup, fish, sweets and fruit salads, and also had a milk bar (reference). In 1936 they altered their name to Bunbury Cafe Coy but continued to supply the community with the same food options (reference). In 1939 Miss Banting also used 85 Victoria Street for her Winter Sale (reference).
Blanche’s business was prosperous and was used as a landmark in Bunbury (reference; reference). Being located in the central business district, the building was witness to many crimes. In 1930 a drunk driver was arrested outside the Hotel (reference). In 1935 Blanche was called upon by the Bunbury Police Court as a witness (reference). In 1939 Blanche was unwillingly involved in a robbery. Clarence Alfred Thomas, aged 46, was alleged to have robbed Selfridge (W.A.) Ltd. in Perth and stole £370/2/11 ($33,052 today). Clarence travelled to Bunbury and adopted the name John Brown before depositing £113/10 ($10,135 today) worth of banknotes at the Grand Central Coffee Palace (reference; reference; reference). In 1942 Murray Tatham was charged with stealing a bicycle left at the back of the Coffee Palace (reference). In 1945 Grant Alton Smith, a veterinary inspector temporarily residing at the Coffee Palace, was assaulted outside in Victoria Street (reference). In 1946 Eileen Mary Wallrodt allegedly drove under the influence and hit a pole near the Grand Central Hostel (reference).
Blanche remained the proprietress until her death on 11 June 1951 at 74 years old (reference). Once Blanche’s probate was settled, the Hotel was divided to serve multiple businesses. In 1954 WA Flick & Co moved into 85a Victoria Street, an Australian wide pest control business (reference). In 1953 the Sydney based business was looking to expand into Western Australia and advertised to find a branch manager (reference). Once settled in Bunbury, they advertised in various newspapers their services to rid the community of white ants and other pests (reference; reference; reference).
In 1991 an application to demolish the building was put forward (reference). Fortunately, this was rejected and the hotel still stands, currently functioning as multiple stores on Victoria Street, including the Baroque Design Jewellery Studio (89 Victoria Street), Life & Soul Boutique (87b Victoria Street), Kiss Chasee Baby & Kids Shop (87a Victoria Street), Grand Central Hair (85 Victoria Street) and Benesse (83 Victoria Street).