ORIENT HOTEL
| Many South Australians walk past the bright blue backpackers’ hostel on Wakefield Street without realising it was once home to one of the city’s historic pubs, the Orient Hotel. The site’s hotel history began in 1854, when John Meyer built the Rose of Australia Hotel. Due to licensing delays, the venue didn’t obtain a liquor license until 1855. Initially, it was also used as a dancing hall, but it never quite took off in popularity. However, it made history when Barbara Foord became one of Adelaide’s earliest female publicans in 1857, inheriting the business from her husband, William Foord. In 1859, then-publican John Hains was declared insolvent, and the hotel was left unsold and demolished by 1863. A fresh chapter began when John Martin built a new two-storey hotel on the same site, naming it the Orient Hotel. More successful than its predecessor, the Orient maintained a steady, loyal patronage. In 1883, it was briefly renamed the La Mascott Hotel, though that name lasted just one year. By the 1930s, the building had become rundown. In 1939, it was completely renovated in the striking Art Deco style we see today. The hotel finally closed its doors in 1996, and the building has since operated as a backpackers’ hostel. Thankfully, the Art Deco façade remains intact, and the original "Orient Hotel" signage is still proudly displayed on the front.  The hotel building in 2025 |
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| ORIENT HOTEL | 1863 | 1883 |
| LA MASCOTT HOTEL | 1883 | 1884 |
| ORIENT HOTEL | 1884 | 1996 |
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c1873
State Library [B 2525]
c1938
State Library [B 7727]
c1938
State Library [B 7730]
c1939
State Library [B 8183]
The hotel after renovations
 5.001.H373.0010 |
 5.001.H373.0020 |
 5.001.H373.0030 |
 5.001.H373.0040 |
| Publican Name | Start Date | Finish Date | Hotel |
| John MARTIN | 1863 | 1865 | Orient Hotel |
| Mary Ann GOUGE | 1865 | 1866 | Orient Hotel |
| Jane HILL | 1866 | 1873 | Orient Hotel |
| Robert Holt MCGEE | 1873 | 1873 | Orient Hotel |
| Mrs Margaret STEWART | 1873 | 1877 | Orient Hotel |
| James GARDNER | 1877 | 1878 | Orient Hotel |
| Peter WEBBER | 1878 | 1879 | Orient Hotel |
| Mary SUPPLE | 1879 | 1879 | Orient Hotel |
| Sarah HAWKINS | 1879 | 1881 | Orient Hotel |
| Henry MARTIN | 1881 | 1883 | Orient Hotel |
| William Thomas LAURENCE | 1883 | 1883 | Orient Hotel |
| Michael HOWARD | 1883 | 1886 | Orient Hotel |
| John Bebbington BROUGH | 1886 | 1887 | Orient Hotel |
| Richard Francis BROWNETT | 1887 | 1887 | Orient Hotel |
| William WHITFIELD | 1887 | 1888 | Orient Hotel |
| Mrs Emma Maria WILLIS | 1888 | 1889 | Orient Hotel |
| William C A BUCKBY | 1889 | 1889 | Orient Hotel |
| Elizabeth EDMUNDS | 1889 | 1890 | Orient Hotel |
| Edward MINIHAN | 1890 | 1891 | Orient Hotel |
| Eduard Edward TOLEMANN | 1891 | 1893 | Orient Hotel |
| Mrs Lucy Ann OLDHAM | 1893 | 1894 | Orient Hotel |
| John HILL | 1894 | 1894 | Orient Hotel |
| Sampson GRIVELL | 1894 | 1896 | Orient Hotel |
| Sampson GRIVELL | 1894 | 1906 | Orient Hotel |
| ? COVENEY | 1896 | 1897 | Orient Hotel |
| Charles JOHNSTONE | 1906 | 1906 | Orient Hotel |
| James Thomas PILE | 1906 | 1908 | Orient Hotel |
| Miss Mary MCAULIFFE | 1908 | 1913 | Orient Hotel |
| Edward C ALEXANDER | 1913 | 1919 | Orient Hotel |
| Mrs Elizabeth ALEXANDER | 1919 | 1948 | Orient Hotel |
| Harris Sydney Job CHANCELLOR | 1948 | 1949 | Orient Hotel |
| Donald David CRAIG | 1949 | 1956 | Orient Hotel |