History of Brown’s Mart
Our History
Brown’s Mart dates back to 1885 when it had the distinction of being one of the few privately owned commercial buildings constructed of local stone, porcellanite (a soft claystone) rather than corrugated iron. It was built by Vaiben Louis Solomon (1853-1908) in 1885 and was originally known as “Solomon’s Mart”.
Solomon first came to the Northern Territory from Adelaide in 1873 in search of gold. He stayed 17 years during which time his official positions included: Chairman of Palmerston District Council, editor and proprietor of the Northern Territory Times and Gazette, Netherlands Vice Consul, and one of the first two members elected to represent the Northern Territory in the South Australian parliament.
In February 1885 the Northern Territory Times reported: The building will, when completed, be an ornament to the street … The dimensions will be 80 x 38 feet, with 17 feet (high) walls. The paper went on to report four months later that: the front doors and windows of Solomon’s new store were sketched by Mr Knight, Architect, to harmonise with the Town Hall opposite. This was the same John George Knight who was appointed Government Resident (now known as Administrators of the Northern Territory) in 1890.
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Brown’s Mart officially opened for business on 27 June 1885 and “Solomon’s Emporium, as it was often known, was proudly claimed by its owner as capable of holding 500 tons of merchandise. It was also a regular venue for auctions as well as popular for public and private meetings.
The next owner became the name associated with the building for more than a hundred years: Victor Vowles Brown (1841-1910) took over in September 1887 and established the Port Darwin Mercantile and Agency Co. From this time the building was known as The Mercantile Mart and housed the offices of the Eastern and Australian Steam Ship Company, North Australian Lloyds and the Northern Territory Mining Exchange.
Mr Brown was, like Mr Solomon, an integral part of Territory life at the time. Even more so as he had an amazing eighteen children – seven by his first wife Julia (née Solomon) and eleven by his second wife Eliza (née Tuckwell). He built Fannie Bay Gaol (1882), Christ Church (1902,) also served as Chairman of Palmerston District Council and was the Foundation President of the Northern Territory Racing Club.
His notable building became known as “Brown’s Mart”, or “Daddy Brown’s Auction Room” – for obvious reasons. It was an excellent – to use a modern day term – “brand name” as it was noted by the newspaper that “his sunshiny, cheerful and optimistic temperament made him generally popular with all who personally knew him”.
Brown’s Mart sustained considerable damage in the 1897 cyclone, losing its roof and most of a side wall, but was rebuilt. It was relatively unscathed in the March 1937 cyclone. In 1974, Cyclone Tracy caused considerable water damage and the roof lost its cladding but the stone walls remained intact.
In May 1937, Brown’s Mart was leased to a bank; during World War II the armed forces used the building, including a period in 1943 when the Royal Australian Navy used it as a torpedo workshop. The Navy did not vacate the building until July 1952 when The Crown Law Office moved in until the mid 1960s.Sunsequent tenants included the NT Police.
The final transformation was instigated by the Darwin Theatre Group who proposed use as a community theatre. In October 1971, a Board of Trustees was appointed to manage this new role: Ken Conway (Chairman), Lyn Serventy, Lawrence Ah Toy, Grant Tambling, Christopher Nathanael, Peter Spillett and Ken Waters.
Our Theatre
Rehearsals and theatre workshops were held in the Mart from early 1972 and members of the Apex Club and the Arts Council helped to prepare it for the first public performance. Darwin Theatre Group became chief user of the theatre and a major contributor towards the cost of renovations.
Brown’s Mart hosted numerous productions with flexible stages and seating, created, borrowed and installed for each season. The ceiling was removed to expose the timbers which supported theatrical lights, and entrances and exits were often made through the window spaces of the tin-roofed building.
In November 1972, architect Peter Dermoudy, subsequently a Chair of the Trust, was commissioned to design a new theatre layout and administration block. Stage one of the administration building had been completed (public toilets and an air-conditioning plant room) and the much appreciated air-conditioning had been used for just two shows when Cyclone Tracy hit.
In January 1976, the Darwin Reconstruction Commission set funds aside for protective work on historic buildings including Brown’s Mart, and the Mart received a National Estate grant towards its restoration. The first production in the restored theatre took place in July 1976. Darwin Theatre Group’s revue ‘No Show’, detailed the revival of a fictional amateur theatre company following the near destruction of its theatre despite the bureaucratic aftermath of disaster!
