(31) Mitson Hotels, Tay Street, c.1881

Component — Box: ICC-0998

Identifier: S27520001_031

Staff Only

Mitson Hotels, Tay Street

Scope and Contents

North side of Tay Street, between Kelvin and Devron Streets. Block III, section 16.

Featuring: Mitson's Family Hotel and Mitson's Hotel.

Dates

c.1881

Conditions Governing Use

This item has no known copyright restrictions. Please acknowledge Invercargill City Libraries and Archives, Ref: A0105 S27520001_031, when re-using this image.

Biographical / Historical

Situated beside the current Civic Theatre, these buildings were owned by John Alfred Mitson. The smaller building, Mitson’s Hotel, was opened in 1869, while Mitson’s Family Hotel, designed by architects McKaye and Ridley, opened in 1881. The property was sold in 1882 but was still known over the years as Mitson’s Family Hotel, apart from a brief time as the Stark Family Hotel under Wyald Stark, and McMaster’s Family Hotel under James McMaster. Other proprietors included Julius Seehof, William Shackel, and Charles Young. It ended life as a hotel at the turn of the century, becoming a butcher’s shop. In later years the building was a restaurant and fruit shop under J.M Brown and was known as the Civic Fruit Shop and Restaurant. It was demolished under protest by many in 1979.

Sources: Papers Past, Stone’s Directories