Speeches
Friday, 12 December 2025
140th Anniversary of Adelaide Arcade
I am delighted to be here to celebrate the 140th anniversary of Adelaide Arcade.
This is Rod’s and my first time in a horse and carriage on the streets of Adelaide, and what a better way to make a first trip than to reprise the journey of my predecessor, Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson, 140 years ago.
As Governor, it has been my pleasure to come to Adelaide Arcade for various events, most recently in June, when I launched a book by Elizabeth Dalman, founder of Australian Dance Theatre, on the balcony.
On the personal front, I go to Adelaide Arcade to do lots of things – buy ink, hats, chocolates, coffee, presents, drop off the dry cleaning, to name a few.
These visits, both official and personal, remind me that Adelaide Arcade is not simply a heritage building to be preserved behind glass, but a living, breathing part of our city's daily life.
When it opened on 12 December 1885, it was completed in just seven months and hailed as a marvel of modern engineering – one of the first buildings in Adelaide to feature electric lighting, setting a new standard for innovation in the late 19th century.
Designed by architects Withall and Wells, with its glass roof, mosaic tiles, distinctive domes and intricate cast-iron detailing, the Arcade quickly became a central hub for retail and social activity in our growing city.
In 1885 the local newspaper, the Adelaide Observer, wrote:
“When His Excellency the Governor formally declared the building open from the first floor of the shop at the Rundle-street end, which possesses a commanding outlook on the interior of the Arcade, the whole structure was perfect in all its details.”[1]
Over 140 years, Adelaide Arcade has been home to an extraordinary diversity of businesses – milliners, jewellers, cobblers, tailors, photographers, tea rooms and even, at one point, a wax museum and Turkish baths beneath the Arcade.
Through fires, redevelopments and major shifts in the city, the Arcade has remained in continuous operation since 1885 and today remains local both in its ownership and nearly completely in its occupancy.
Its ongoing vibrancy and success is a testament to its enduring importance to South Australians, and, in supporting generations of artisans, specialists and family-run shops, it remains a much loved and vital part of our state's economic and cultural fabric.
The "Shop Local. Shop Adelaide Arcade" campaign embodies something deeply important: the value of supporting South Australian small businesses, each offering expertise, personalised service and unique skill sets that enrich our community.
I thank the arcade management and business owners, past and present, for their dedication to this heritage-listed landmark and for their contribution to Adelaide's identity and character.
As we look to the future, I am heartened by Adelaide Arcade's commitment to supporting the next generation of South Australian traders while preserving the heritage and charm that make it unique.
May Adelaide Arcade continue to be, as it has been for 140 years, a place where history and modern life meet under one beautiful roof, and where South Australians gather, shop and connect for generations to come.
[1] https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-article160747894.txt