The Florence Hummerston Kiosk is a building located at

Elizabeth Quay Elizabeth Quay is a mixed-use development project in the Perth#cbd, Perth central business district. Focusing on an area located on the north shore of Perth Water near the landmark Swan Bells, the precinct being developed by the project was nam ...

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. The kiosk was originally located on the

Perth Esplanade The Esplanade Reserve in Perth, Western Australia was a heritage listed public space between Perth Water and the Perth central business district. It formed part of, and was occasionally referred to incorrectly as, the Perth foreshore and the P ...

, until being relocated to the foreshore of the Swan River. The kiosk is also known as The Esplanade Kiosk

Site and brief

The kiosk was built on reclaimed land on the

Esplanade Reserve The Esplanade Reserve in Perth, Western Australia was a heritage listed public space between Perth Water and the Perth central business district. It formed part of, and was occasionally referred to incorrectly as, the Perth foreshore and the Pe ...

and replaced a grandstand that had been built in 1885. The building was constructed in 1928 as a

tearoom A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

and

changing room A changing-room, locker-room, (usually in a sports, theater, or staff context) or changeroom (regional use) is a room or area designated for changing one's clothes. Changing-rooms are provided in a semi-public situation to enable people to ch ...

for the adjoining sporting facilities. The kiosk was located on the northern side of the reserve on Bazar Terrace (later renamed The Esplanade).

Architecture

It was designed by

Louis Bowser Cumpston Louis Bowser Cumpston (1865–1931) was a British architect. He mostly designed buildings in Western Australia. Early life Louis Bowser Cumpston was born on 27 November 1865 in Liverpool, England. His father, Louis Philippe Cumpston, was a b ...

in what was described by its heritage assessment as "a fine example of the Federation Arts and Crafts style, composed of interlocking octagonal forms with elliptical arched windows".

Construction

The building was approved in mid-1928 and building was completed for a December 1928 opening. It was built for a cost of

A£ The pound (Sign: £, £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. As with other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (denoted by the symbol s ...

5,991, about AU$ today.

Later uses

It has been altered at times by the

Perth City Council Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Over time it has also been known as, ''Esplanade Tearooms'' for most of the 1940s and 1950s, ''Annabella's Nightclub'' (1977–1980), Florence Hummerston Day Care Centre (1985–1998) after former City Counselor

Florence Hummerston Florence Ellen Hummerston , Hayman, (6 March 1889 – 31 December 1983) was an Australian politician. She was a City of Perth councillor between 1951 and 1969. Biography Early life Hummerston was born on 6 March 1889 in Fremantle, Western Aus ...

, as well as the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

youth drop-in centre ''The Converted Duke'' (1982–1985), and has had other usages as well. With the redevelopment of Esplanade Reserve in the early 1970s, the change rooms and public toilets were redesigned internally.

Relocation

Plans for the 2012 redevelopment of the Esplanade area included dismantling the original building and moving it elsewhere. The newer additions (with lesser heritage values) would be demolished. In November 2012, the Western Australian government confirmed the kiosk would be reconstructed in an island at the centre of the

project. In March 2015 the government confirmed the relocation had cost A$11 million. The cost included a A$7 million compensation payout to the operator of a Chinese restaurant who had a 44-year lease on the building.

References

External links

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Florence Hummerston Kiosk

Isle of Voyage
1928 establishments in Australia Perth waterfront Buildings and structures in Perth, Western Australia Federation style architecture State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Perth Relocated buildings and structures in Australia {{PerthAU-geo-stub