Connor Quinlan Building
The Connor Quinlan Building was erected in 1892 for Daniel Connor and Timothy Quinlan, jointly the largest landholders in the central business district of Perth. There were four shops on the ground floor with living accommodation upstairs. Access to the apartments was from staircases on the back balcony which were intended to offer views of the city and fresh air.
Since the late 1890s, the ground level corner shop of Connor Quinlan Building has been occupied by a tobacconist, which from 1912 traded as T. Sharp & Co Pty Ltd, and retains a typical tobacconist’s store fit-out from the 1950s. At ‘Sharp’s Corner’ you could not only buy tobacco products, but also have a haircut and buy tickets for boxing matches.
In 1930, following a small fire, T. Sharp advertised cheap cigars and cigarettes which were, perhaps ironically, ‘smoke damaged’. By 1935, Mr Sharp was among those complaining that legitimate tobacconists were being ruined by dodgy traders who sold cigarettes outside of licensed hours. This may have, perhaps, contributed to his decision to give up his lease on the premises that same year.
Today, Connor Quinlan Building (or ‘Sharp’s Corner’) is one of the best-known icons in central Perth, and remains open as a retail outlet more than 120 years after first trading.
The Connor Quinlan Building was erected in 1892 for Daniel Connor and Timothy Quinlan, jointly the largest landholders in the central business district of Perth. There were four shops on the ground floor with living accommodation upstairs. Access to the apartments was from staircases on the back balcony which were intended to offer views of the city and fresh air.
The building was built during a period of optimism and building activity in Perth following the granting of Responsible Government in 1890. Designed by architect Andrea Stombuco, the street elevations are in a classical style, with double Corinthian columns and medieval architectural iconography. The Connor Quinlan Building is a great example of the type of two-storey commercial building erected in this era, which became more common after the gold boom saw more money and people come to Perth.
Since the late 1890s, the ground level corner shop of Connor Quinlan Building has been occupied by a tobacconist, which from 1912 traded as T. Sharp & Co Pty Ltd, and retains a typical tobacconist’s store fit-out from the 1950s. At ‘Sharp’s Corner’ you could not only buy tobacco products, but also have a haircut and buy tickets for boxing matches.
In 1930, following a small fire, T. Sharp advertised cheap cigars and cigarettes which were, perhaps ironically, ‘smoke damaged’. By 1935, Mr Sharp was among those complaining that legitimate tobacconists were being ruined by dodgy traders who sold cigarettes outside of licensed hours. This may have, perhaps, contributed to his decision to give up his lease on the premises that same year.
Today, Connor Quinlan Building (or ‘Sharp’s Corner’) is one of the best-known icons in central Perth, and remains open as a retail outlet more than 120 years after first trading.
West Australian 23 November 1892
Daily News 17 October 1911
Daily News 18 October 1912
Sunday Times, 30 March 1930
Daily News, 26 April 1935