Heritage listed in city hub
More than 40 years since sale
A CAXTON Street gourmet dining pioneer is selling her heritage-listed building which housed the restaurant that helped kickstart one of Brisbane’s major entertainment hub.
Sandy Ridgway is selling the two-level terrace building at 23-25 Caxton St that she and her husband Rob “Rags” Ridgway bought in 1974 for $19,000.
At the time it was a longtime vacant, derelict, boarded-up eyesore.
But two years later, and after an extensive makeover, the couple opened Rags Garden Restaurant which was then one of Brisbane’s few gourmet restaurants and attracted Brisbane’s who’s who as well as national and international celebrities.
Mrs Ridgway, 71, said the building holds many great memories.
“But I’ve decided to retire from being a landlady,” she said.“I’ve been handling it on my own since Rags died in 1998 and I’ve decided to move on and be a retiree instead of a sole director of my super fund.”
Ray White Commercial will auction the property on December 14.
When it opened, Rags Garden Restaurant had a French chef Max Matter and the award-winning restaurant helped establish Brisbane food scene, embracing new ideas such as indigenous bush foods as well as nouvelle cuisine, French and then Thai French dishes.
The restaurant hosted weddings, including television personality Jacki MacDonald’s, and it was also the venue for various launches from a James Reyne album to Gold Lotto.
After Expo 88 the Ridgways closed the restaurant to pursue other interests.
Mrs Ridgway said they were fun times.
“Back when we opened Rags there were only five or six top restaurants in Brisbane,” she said.
“In Caxton St at the time there was really only Gambaros who had a very popular fish and chip shop across the road from us.”
The Ridgways were the fourth owner of the building that was built in 1885 by Samuel Sneyd who had been Brisbane’s chief constable and later governor of Brisbane jail.
Over the years the building hosted a number of top restaurants and bars including Cafe Paradise, O’Leary’s, Kitty O’Shea’s, Statler & Waldorf Gastronomy Pub and now Enzo & Sons.
Ray White Commercial’s Michael Feltoe said the property, which is next to Gambaro Hotel, has had an exceptionally strong trading history and it was the first time on the market for 44 years.
“We’re receiving a very high degree of interest from local, regional and interstate investors,” he said.
“Caxton St commercial assets are rarely offered to the market and this property is a once in a generation opportunity to secure a truly unique landmark.”