Coffee Palace

The term Coffee Palace was primarily used in Australia to describe the temperance hotels which were built during the period of the 1880s although there are references to the term also being used, to a lesser extent, in the United Kingdom. They were hotels that did not serve alcohol, built in response to the temperance movement and, in particular, the influence of the Independent Order of Rechabites in Australia. James Munro was a particularly vocal member of this movement. Coffee Palaces were often multi-purpose or mixed use buildings which included a large number of rooms for accommodation as well as ballrooms and other function and leisure facilities.

The construction of buildings for the temperance movement coincided with an economic boom in Australia and the use of richly ornamental High Victorian architecture.

Subsequently, many such hotels were given prestigious names such as "Grand" or "Royal" and were designed in the fashionable Free Classical or Second Empire styles.

The movement reached its height in Victoria and particularly Melbourne during the Victorian gold rush.

Catering for families, the Coffee Palaces were most popular in the coastal seaside resorts and for inner city locations popular with interstate and overseas visitors.

Ironically as the temperance movement's influence waned, many hotels applied for liquor licences. Many were either converted into hotels or demolished; however, some fine examples still survive.