The history of what is now the NightOwl Head Office Training Store is definitely worth a quick read if you’re at all interested in Brisbane’s past.
Brisbane was settled between 1842 and 1879 after the penal colony was opened to free settlement in1838. At the beginning of this town building time, in 1844, William Wilson, who was one of Brisbane’s earliest politicians was gifted three acres of land which is now Kangaroo Point. The land was divided up and changed hands for a time until James Darragh acquired some, and built both Carrol House (1878) and The Story Bridge Hotel, previously named The Kangaroo Point Hotel (1886) from bricks that came to Brisbane as ballast in a ship from Scotland.
Carroll House operated as a butcher, a grocer and a general store on the lower ground with residences above until the 1930’s. The building exchanges hands a few more times, then, in 1983 Tom Carroll, the owner at the time, significantly renovated the building placing the date (1983) on the roof gable.
The now named ‘Carroll House”, was Local Heritage listed in 1997 because it is a rare example of an 1870’s corner shop / residence that encapsulated the village lifestyle that existed at the time. Also during that year, Ray White Real Estate’s Peter Willert purchased Carroll House and used it as his real estate office until 2013.
Company KPT Land Pty Ltd, which owned the NightOwl franchise at the time, beat four other bidders to pay 1.66 million for the property marketed by Hunter Higgins and Jock Murray of Colliers International.
“It is very unique – not only in the fact that it is a heritage property but also because it’s a freestanding building,” Mr Murray said.
“Rarely are freestanding buildings of this nature and character offered for sale.”
“It’s lovely to see history repeat itself, with the building essentially going back to its original use of a general store,” Mr Murray said.
NightOwl Kangaroo Point store opened for trade on the 17th July 2014. Today it is also the training store for all new franchisees as it’s in a handy location to the new NightOwl Support Office which was built right next door in 2017.
