Jack and Newell Building (former)

The Jack and Newell Building overlooks the reconstructed Cairns Wharf Complex and is the last of the warehouse structures which once dominated the street. This building and the nearby Barrier Reef Hotel comprise the only remaining historic Cairns buildings overlooking the port facilities. The 1911 brick structure was built for J G Fearnley who was one of the principal wharf owners in Cairns, along with Burns Philp, Walsh and Co and Howard Smith. The property subsequently changed hands a number of times until it was transferred to storekeepers and shipping agents Jack and Newell in 1929. After the purchase, the brick exterior was rendered, obliterating the names of previous owners and replacing them with Jack & Newell & Co. In the 1970s the property was acquired as part of the redevelopment of the Reef Hotel. It is now dwarfed by the Jack and Newell Holiday Apartments tower on Wharf Street.