Brisbane Arcade, Brisbane

The Brisbane Arcade is a historical building that contains one of the city’s most charming shopping arcades. In addition to its art deco style architecture, the arcade is of historical importance as it was built by one of Brisbane’s most important and mysterious colonial families – the Maynes.

The arcade was built by siblings James and Mary Mayne and opened in 1924 on the land their brother Isaac had bought in 1892. The Mayne family was also responsible for donating the land used to form the University of Queensland at the beginning of the 20th century. Their family had a murky past of madness and murder as it was said that their father Patrick had begun his immense fortune with money he had stolen from a man he murdered on the banks of the Brisbane River in the mid 19th century.

There is entry to the arcade from both Queen Street and Adelaide Street and inside there are two levels of retail stores. Each level has ornate floral moldings on the pilasters on the first level there are stylish wrought iron railings. Stepping into the arcade is like stepping back into the jazz age of the 1920s and its romantic nouveau aesthetic. Many of Brisbane’s most respected designers have boutiques here.