The Criterion Hotel
3 Tyne Street
Completed in 1877, Oamaru’s Criterion Hotel stands as one of the town’s most striking nineteenth-century buildings, designed in an ornate Italianate style by the architectural partnership of Forrester and Lemon. Prominently positioned on the corner of Tyne and Harbour Streets, it reflects both the confidence and prosperity of Oamaru during its boom years. The site itself has an earlier history, having been used for A & P shows prior to the construction of the hotel, linking it to the district’s agricultural past.
Commissioned by William Gillespie, the hotel quickly drew admiration. Contemporary reports described it as one of the most decorative additions to the town’s streetscape. Its construction utilised locally quarried Oamaru stone from Cave Valley, a limestone prized not only for its durability but also for its distinctive marble-like veining, which enhances the building’s refined appearance.
The structure was designed to impress. Its dual street frontages, extending nearly 30 metres along Tyne Street and over 27 metres along Harbour Street, created a commanding corner presence. Architectural detailing was rich and deliberate: the ground floor featured rusticated pilasters separating a series of arched windows and entrances, while the upper level echoed this arrangement with more elaborate ornamentation, including carved capitals and decorative motifs.
Window surrounds were finely detailed with keystones, scrollwork and Prince of Wales Feathers, and the roofline was finished with a balustraded parapet. At its centre, a decorative panel displayed the hotel’s name, framed by ornamental shields and scrolls.
Inside, the building was equally impressive in scale and integrity. High ceilings and generously proportioned rooms contributed to an atmosphere of light and space. The ground floor accommodated public and private areas including bars, parlours, and a dining room, while the upper level provided a mix of bedrooms and sitting rooms accessed via a staircase crafted from white pine. Notably, the interior has undergone remarkably little alteration since its construction, making the Criterion widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s most historically important nineteenth-century hotels due to the survival of its original layout and features.
The hotel was built alongside the neighbouring premises of Connell and Clowes, whose offices and store were visually incorporated into the overall façade (the facades are similar but different). Despite this unified appearance, the ground floor remained separate from the hotel’s operations, as indicated by their own distinct entrance. Additional rooms above these premises increased the total accommodation to nearly thirty rooms, although in later years many of these upper spaces fell out of use.
While primarily a place of hospitality, the Criterion also served more somber community functions in its early history. At times it was used as a temporary morgue and as a venue for inquests, reflecting the practical realities of life in a developing colonial town. Through these roles, the building became associated not only with social gatherings but also with moments of loss and local tragedy.
Ownership of the Criterion changed hands several times during its early decades, reflecting the shifting nature of hotel keeping in the period. Following the introduction of Prohibition in Oamaru in 1906, the building adapted by operating as a Temperance Hotel. During this period, it became particularly well known for the quality of its cooking. Local accounts recall the use of egg whites supplied by Lane’s Emulsion factory, located across the street, contributing to its reputation for well-prepared meals. In the late 1930s, the front public bar briefly took on a new role as a soft drink parlour, reflecting changing social habits of the time.
By the early twentieth century, however, the building’s condition had begun to decline. A new chapter began in the 1940s when the property was acquired by the Gillies Foundry and Engineering Company. For several decades it functioned as a pattern storage facility, a utilitarian role that continued until the late twentieth century.
The building’s preservation owes much to the efforts of the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust,
The Criterion Hotel and the Civic Trust
The Whitestone Civic Trust acquired the Hotel from Gillies Foundry in the early 1990s through a negotiated exchange that included Brown’s Store on Tyne Street as well as a cash settlement. Following acquisition, the Trust carried out a major restoration programme, carefully reinstating the parapet and façade to their original design. The interior was also extensively rebuilt to comply with modern fire and earthquake safety standards, while still respecting and retaining the building’s historic character. In 2022, the Trust, working in partnership with the tenant, completed a further upgrade of the ground floor, which included the installation of a new purpose-built commercial kitchen, with the project costing in excess of $700,000 at the time.