When this request was rejected, TC Beirne purchased the Diocese holdings in Brunswick Street in 1897 for £8000 on a deposit of £50.

Architect William Hodgen, junior designed extensive alterations to the property, and by 1900 the business was described as having "evolved into large bright looking premises with a frontage to Brunswick Street of 110ft".

Additions to the company's warehousing facilities followed in 1906 when Hall & Dods called tenders for "premises, Duncan Street, Valley, for TC Beirne & Co.".

Baumber's tender was accepted in 1909, while the work completed in 1913 included a "new storey and other additions, besides the modernising of the Brunswick Street premises at a cost of about £25,000".

In 1938, 30,000 square feet of floor space was added by contractors GH Turner & Son at a cost of £30,000.

TC Beirne also established a popular and successful mail-order service, extending the company's clientele base into more remote locations.

In 1894, James McWhirter joined TC Beirne as general manager and temporary partner before leaving to occupy premises on the opposite of Brunswick Street.

Like Beirne, McWhirter was an instant success and the two stores, along with other principal retailers, Overells and later the ACB Company and Waltons, did much to ensure the popularity of Fortitude Valley as a shopping destination in the first half of the twentieth century.

[1] While Thomas Charles Beirne became a household name through the success of his retail empire, he was also a prominent figure in wider Brisbane society.

Other recipients of his generosity were the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Duchesne College, St Brigid's Church at Red Hill, and the proposed-but-never-built Holy Name Cathedral.

The TC Beirne building for some time housed a branch of Target, a discount department store.

Both buildings have undergone extensive internal alteration and refurbishment and now contain commercial and retail outlets on the lower level and apartments on the upper floors.

[1] The TC Beirne Department Store occupies a prominent position overlooking the pedestrian thoroughfares of Brunswick and Duncan Streets, Fortitude Valley.

Alterations include a wide modern arcade entrance and a glass and metal overhead tunnel, designed by James Birrell, that links the centre to the buildings on the other side of Duncan Street.

[5] The former warehouse is constructed of painted brick and has its major elevation to Duncan Street adjoining the main store buildings.

The building has four storeys and a low brick tower to Duncan Street, similar to that on the TC Beirne section.

The rear of the building overlooks a laneway and modern windows and small metal balconies have been added, as has a deck area.

[1] TC Beirne Department Store was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 December 2003 having satisfied the following criteria.

The building and development of the TC Beirne Department Store is important in demonstrating the pattern and evolution of Queensland's history, reflecting the late 19th and early 20th century development of Fortitude Valley as a major commercial and shopping centre, which was sustained well into the post-Second World War period.

[1] The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.