Come celebrate 100 years, 100 stories in the Valley
By Robert Allen, President of the New Farm & Districts Historical Society
Two of Fortitude Valley’s most iconic buildings turn one hundred this month, and local residents are invited to celebrate with a community day of food, wine, music and history.
The Carroll’s Corner and Rollinson Buildings on Brunswick Street were built in 1925, when the Valley was a shopping destination rivalling the Brisbane CBD.
The ‘100 Years, 100 Stories’ community day, to be held on Saturday, November 22, will feature food and wine, live music and dancing, a record and CD market, hourly history tours, photographic displays and evening entertainment.
Prominent painter and former local councillor David Hinchliffe will also be on hand to paint the streetscape.
The buildings’ owner, Arthur Apostolos, said ‘100 Years, 100 Stories’ celebrates a century of Valley institutions and characters.
“Carroll’s Corner was home to my family’s California Café for four decades, while the Rollinson Buildings’ most famous tenant is Giardinetto, which has been at the same location since 1966.”
“Other long-term businesses include Reverends and Fat Dumpling,” he said.
The buildings and the neighbouring California Lane, which opened in 2018, host a variety of restaurants, cafes, wine bars, art studios and music venues.
Mr Apostolos says the day’s focus will be on the area’s past and its vibrant present.
“‘100 Years, 100 Stories’ is about celebrating the buildings, the hard working business owners and their loyal customers who have made them such lively places,” he said.
“The area may’ve changed over the past hundred years, but it has retained its heritage feel. And it’s still a place for people to get together and have fun.”
More information about the day’s events is available at thelanesfortitudevalley.com and by following @mycalifornialane.
Tickets for the hourly ‘100 Years, 100 Stories: Valley History Tour’, which cost $10 per head and include a coffee or juice afterwards, can be booked via Eventbrite.
Photo caption: George Apostolos (right) and workers at the California Cafe in 1950
Source: Apostolos family
