McWhirters Building, Fortitude Valley: Art Deco Department Store
Built in stages between 1912 and 1931, the McWhirters Building in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley is a survivor from the city's department store boom. Scottish draper James McWhirter set up shop on Brunswick Street in 1898, and the business grew into a vast department store covering more than an acre between Brunswick, Wickham and Warner streets. Today the brick and terracotta building is one of the Valley's best-known landmarks, and one of the stops in our Hidden Gems Queensland guide.
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McWhirters History and Architecture
Architects Atkinson and McLay designed the five-storey corner building of 1912, and Hall and Phillips designed the 1930 to 1931 corner that replaced it. The facades show the shift in commercial architecture across those decades, ending in the striking Art Deco corner finished in 1931, during the Great Depression. Decorated with polychrome glazed terracotta tiles and the McWhirter monogram, it worked as a permanent advertisement for the store. The store later became Myer and closed in 1988. The interior has since been converted into the McWhirters Marketplace shops with apartments above, but the big exterior walls, arched windows and parapets remain.
Where Is McWhirters?
The building stands on the corner of Brunswick and Wickham streets in Fortitude Valley. The best views of the facades and the Art Deco corner are from the surrounding footpaths, where you can take in the full scale of the old store. The upper levels are private apartments, so keep to the public retail areas and the street.
McWhirters Building FAQs
When was the McWhirters Building built?
In stages between 1912 and 1931. The Art Deco corner on Brunswick and Wickham streets was completed in 1931.
What is the McWhirters Building used for now?
After the department store (later Myer) closed in 1988, it was redeveloped as McWhirters Marketplace, with shops at street level and apartments on the upper floors.
Who designed McWhirters?
Atkinson and McLay designed the 1912 corner building, and Hall and Phillips designed the 1931 Art Deco corner.
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