Welcome to Perth’s historic Thomas Wright Building
Erected in 1851 by Charles Rice, the building initially housed two shops as well as the Bathurst Courier, which made its home on the second floor of the building. Rise would go on to purchase the Bathurst Courier, renaming it the Perth Courier. Rice would purse a career as a publisher and journalist, until he sold the newspaper. In 1889, the Perth Courier would move to 57 Gore Street.
From 1867 to 1930, the Wright family would take possession of the building for their furriers business. Following the Wright’s possession of the building, in later years, the building would accommodate a clock & watch maker, a furrier & tailor shop, a jewellery store and a real estate office. In the building’s history, it had also been home to an optometrist which had been owned and operated by Jack Arnold Thomas, from 1958 – 1972.
It would be from the Wright family as well as Jack Arnold Thomas, where the building got its name; The Thomas Wright Building.
Kelly’s Flowers would make the building its home, initially from 2007 – 2014, and returned to the building in April of 2024.
Restoration of the Thomas Wright Building
The Commonwealth Historic Resource Management Group undertook the re-development of the Thomas Wright Building in the 1990s. The restoration of the building included the establishment of the 197-seat theatre, located on the second floor of the building. With its own entrance located on Coulbourne Street, Perth’s famous Studio Theatre continues to make the Thomas Wright building its home today.
Also in the re-development process, the group also modernized the ground floor of the building, creating a commercial space that faces out onto Gore Street. This is now the home of Kelly’s Flowers & Gift Boutique.