Indiana Teahouse
Building in Cottesloe, Western Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indiana Teahouse is a State Heritage Listed landmark building in Cottesloe, Western Australia.[1]
| Indiana Teahouse | |
|---|---|
Indiana Teahouse in 2023 | |
 Interactive map of the Indiana Teahouse area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neotraditional |
| Location | 91 Marine Parade, Cottesloe, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31.9968°S 115.7516°E |
| Construction started | 1994 |
| Opened | October 1996 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Laurie Scanlan |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 8 June 2021 |
| Reference no. | 16637 |
It has been widely described as one of Perth's iconic landmarks,[2][3][4][5][6] and is frequently featured in tourism and promotional material as a site representative of Perth.[7][8][9]
History
The Indiana Teahouse was designed and constructed from 1994 to 1996[10] by architect Laurie Scanlan.[6] It is named after the Indiana Tea House which was located at the site from 1913 to 1970[11] and is designed in a style intended to be reminiscent of the Centenary Bathing Pavilion which was located at the site from 1929 to 1982.[5] The current structure was built to accommodate what at the time was seen as a growing need of the patrons of Cottesloe Beach. The current structure incorporates an earlier bathing pavilion built in 1983 into its lower floor.[12]
The building has been leased by the State Government to Andrew and Nicola Forrest since 2019. Andrew Forrest announced controversial plans to significantly redevelop the building that same year, fielding submissions from a design competition.[13] The plans were quickly met with community backlash and have since gone through numerous revisions.[14][15][16][17] In 2025, plans were approved by the local council to construct a sauna on the terrace level of the building. These plans are currently awaiting approval from the WA Planning Commission.[18]
In 2021, the Indiana Teahouse and surrounding Cottesloe Beach were placed on the State Register of Heritage Places citing landmark status to the community and international tourists as reasons for its significance.[6]
The Marine Parade level of the building currently contains Indigo Oscar, a Latin-American inspired restaurant.[19]
In popular culture
The building and surrounding beach were praised by Taylor Swift in a 2012 diary entry associated with the release of her album Lover. In the entry she described the Indiana Teahouse as "one of the most beautiful places [she'd] been," and mistakenly believed it to have been built in 1910.[20]