CRITERION HOTEL
| The Criterion Hotel, originally also known as the Family Hotel, was built in 1864 by William Hubble and stood prominently near the General Post Office in Adelaide’s city centre. Despite the prime location, Hubble faced ongoing financial troubles, including court cases brought by unpaid staff. He left the hotel in 1871. Ownership passed to Edward Lockyer, who later became involved with the Unicorn Brewery in Burra during the 1880s. In the 1890s, the South Australian Brewing Company acquired the hotel and undertook a significant renovation in 1897. A takeaway bottle shop was added in the late 1920s, quickly becoming one of the city’s most popular. In 1929, during a severe heatwave, it recorded record-breaking sales. Due to its proximity to the Advertiser newspaper office, the hotel was a regular haunt for journalists. A long-standing rumour suggests a direct telephone line was installed from the Advertiser editor’s office to the hotel bar to locate absent reporters enjoying a pint. Tragically, the Criterion Hotel was demolished in 2010 to make way for an alleyway leading to Post Office Lane. The loss of this historic Victorian-era building in the heart of Adelaide remains a frustrating example of the city’s neglect for its architectural heritage.  |
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| CRITERION HOTEL | 1864 | 1990 |
| BERNADI'S BAR HOTEL | 1990 | 1990 |
| CRITERION HOTEL | 1990 | 2005 |
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c1863
State Library [PRG 280/1/25/151]
c1871
State Library [B 2866]
c1880
State Library [B 7975]
Click here for a high resolution image
c1990
Messenger Press Photo
Hotel site in 2025
 5.001.H376.0010 |
 5.001.H376.0020 |
| Publican Name | Start Date | Finish Date | Hotel |
| William HUBBLE | 1864 | 1866 | Criterion Hotel |
| Harriet FORBES | 1866 | 1869 | Criterion Hotel |
| William HUBBLE | 1869 | 1871 | Criterion Hotel |
| Edward Catchlove LOCKYER | 1871 | 1878 | Criterion Hotel |
| & Harriet FORBES | 1871 | 1878 | Criterion Hotel |
| John George KIRBY | 1878 | 1886 | Criterion Hotel |
| John DEENEY | 1886 | 1897 | Criterion Hotel |
| John Charles Luscomb CHAPPLE | 1897 | 1899 | Criterion Hotel |
| Alexander MASSON | 1899 | 1900 | Criterion Hotel |
| Mrs Martha E MASSON | 1900 | 1900 | Criterion Hotel |
| Mrs Elsie O’SHAUGHNESSY | 1900 | 1902 | Criterion Hotel |
| Charles Henry FERORS | 1902 | 1902 | Criterion Hotel |
| William Litchfield WATKIN | 1902 | 1905 | Criterion Hotel |
| John WHALLIN | 1905 | 1911 | Criterion Hotel |
| Charles WHALLIN | 1911 | 1919 | Criterion Hotel |
| Frederick Charles Wills HAWKE | 1920 | 1923 | Criterion Hotel |
| Norman Connor Stewart MUNRO | 1923 | 1924 | Criterion Hotel |
| Charles Arthur GOLDFINCH | 1924 | 1926 | Criterion Hotel |
| Phillis M GOLDFINCH | 1926 | 1927 | Criterion Hotel |
| Charles Arthur GOLDFINCH | 1927 | 1939 | Criterion Hotel |
| William BRENNAN | 1939 | 1939 | Criterion Hotel |
| Charles Arthur GOLDFINCH | 1939 | 1962 | Criterion Hotel |