Charters Towers Stock Exchange Arcade

Charters Towers Stock Exchange Arcade is a heritage-listed shopping arcade at 76 Mosman Street, Charters Towers, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Sydney architect Mark Cooper Day and built in 1888 by Sandbrook Brothers of Sydney. It was originally known as the Royal Arcade. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.It was originally designed for the local civic leader Alexander Malcolm and was connected to the rest of the world via telegraph. It operated until 1916, when it had to be shut down due to the rapidly diminishing returns from the gold mines and population.HistoryThe Stock Exchange Arcade was built in 1888 to the design of Sydney architect, Mark Cooper Day for Alexander Malcolm as a shop and office arcade and named the Royal Arcade. In 1890 the Stock Exchange took up its offices in the arcade which became the focus of gold-mining investment during the peak period of Queensland's most important goldfield.Gold was discovered at the site of Charters Towers in late 1871 by a prospecting party composed of Hugh Mosman, George Clark, James Fraser and an Aboriginal boy called Jupiter who worked for Mosman. By early 1872 a rush was in progress with an estimated 4,500 on the field by the end of the year. In 1874, following goldfield regulations, a business area was marked out in an area believed to be non-auriferous. In 1877 when Charters Towers petitioned for incorporation as a municipality (the Borough of Charters Towers), this business area was defined as covering one square mile, measured as a half mile in each compass direction from the intersection of Gill and Mosman Streets. This area was the key business and social centre of the town.