Corones Hotel Charleville

http://hotelcorones.com.au/history

You can purchase the Print on a covered Canvas

http://www.zazzle.com/outback_australian_pubs-192179347835592458

In 1926 Corones became the registered owner of the Hotel Norman; a single story hotel established c1895 located a block south of the Hotel Charleville on the corner of Wills and Galatea Street. In an advertisement in Pugh’s Almanac for 1905, proprietor DC McDonald claimed the hotel as the leading hotel of the southern western line … the home of the pastoralist, agriculturalist and tourist with lofty cool bedrooms, hot and cold baths, and good paddocking

Construction of Corones’ Hotel Norman (as it was then called) commenced in 1924. Rising phoenix-like on the site of the old Norman Hotel, the ambitious scheme was built in four stages from the south to the north to enable continuation of trade; the construction dates displayed at either end of the building testifying to the five year enterprise. Significantly, given the number of (timber) buildings in the town destroyed by fire including Corone’s former hotel the Charleville (actually destroyed by fire twice), Harry Corone’s new hotel was a masonry building. The first two stages were of reinforced concrete, the third including the ballroom and final stages of brick. Costing some £50,000 the hotel was built by day labour with preference given to men of the district

The final stage of building was completed in 1929. The hotel now stretched almost an entire block of Charleville’s main street. According to the A & B Journal of Queensland it was a magnificent white building … an outstanding feature in a progressive town … the best equipped and most up-to-date hotel outside the metropolis … generally acknowledged as the calling-place of all distinguished tourists and travellers… The Hotel itself produced a 12 page brochure about this time which included black and white photographs of the interior: on the ground floor the lounge had gleaming copper-topped tables, deep leather lounges and chairs and led to a writing room and telephone booth, the dining room enticing in its cleanliness was capable of seating 150; the private bar which gave exclusive service amidst convivial surroundings was screened from the public bar by an ingenious arrangement a French polished oak partition with mirrors; the public bar was very modern and luxurious and a cool cement court-yard formed an entrance to the ball-room. Upstairs all accommodation rooms opened onto the verandah – some were equipped with their own bathrooms designed to please the most fastidious and the upstairs lounge was just the place for a real restful smoke. Corones Hall located on Galatea Street had a floor unexcelled outside Brisbane and was largely in demand for exclusive balls, parties, and banquets. Capable of seating 320 at dinner, the hall was built for coolness with a number of high set windows and electric ceiling fans. The lights with Venetian shades of various hues [were] adjustable either to dimness or the reverse, and an orchestra platform added to its popularity and beauty.