Trocadero Hotel/Arcadia Hotel (1903

The Trocadero Hotel, on the corner of Egmont and Ariki Streets, was built for Mr & Mrs Hale in 1903. A building permit was issued on 7 January, 1903 for the construction of the "Trocadero Coffee Palace". The permit was issued to G. Hale and the estimated cost was £2,890.

The architect was Mr Christopher Bolstad, who had offices in Stratford and New Plymouth. It should be noted that it was previously assumed that Frank Messenger was the architect and that the building could have been erected about 1890. Although Messenger designed many distinctive New Plymouth buildings, the Trocadero Hotel does not appear to be one of them.

It was built by Messrs. Cotter and Co., the painting completed by Mr. G. Gilbert, 'Frederick and McMillan' were the plumbing contractors and Mr Sinclair was responsible for the brickwork.

The hotel opened in July 1903. The ground floor contained dining room, kitchen, pantry, four sitting rooms and four bedrooms. The upper floor housed two sitting rooms and twenty four bedrooms.

When first built a second storey verandah ran across the main elevation between the gable section and the masonry wall. In 1927 the name changed to the Arcadia Hotel, after the arrival of a new proprietor, Henry Moon.

The New Plymouth District Council bought the land and building in 1996 for $400,000, intending to use the land for the Puke Ariki project. So began a five-year battle to save the building. In 2000 an injunction to stop the planned demolition failed, as did a bid to have the building relocated to the foreshore.

The building was finally demolished in 2001 and the site is now a public carpark.

Related documents:

Fight to save the Arcadia Hotel 1996-1999

Council may demolish old building (Daily News 6 January 1997)

Site costs council dearly (Daily News 20 February 1997)

Period store proposal for Arcadia Hotel (Daily News 26 June 1997)

Last-ditch bid to save hotel (Daily News 21 February 1997)

Save the Arcadia Advertisement (Daily News 21 February 1997)

Reprieve for historic hotel (Daily News 22 February 1997)

Council extends its reprieve period for historic hotel (Daily News 14 March 1997)

Hotel's Fate Still In The Balance (Daily News 1 May 1997)

Debate Still Raging Over Future Of Arcadia Hotel (North Taranaki Midweek 14 May 1997)