 It was occupied at the time by JP Ragland, consul for the United States of America, and was a focus for "society" functions in Brisbane.During the Second World War (1939–45) a concrete air-raid shelter was erected along the northern boundary of the property.In honour of the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to Brisbane in 1954, the occupants of prominently-positioned El Nido decorated the front elevation of their house with the British Coat of Arms and the lettering "God Save the Queen".