Gillespie sells the hotel to Peter Alexander, who then transfers it to William Manning around 1888. John Marshall Brown, already the owner of the nearby Star and Garter Hotel, also becomes the owner at some point. Ownership changes hands frequently throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
End of Prohibition
When the population of Oamaru voted for prohibition in 1906, the Criterion survived by becoming a temperance hotel. In the 1930s, the building deteriorated. During the 1940s, the Gillies Foundry and Engineering Company purchased it and used it as a warehouse for materials for its foundry located on Tyne Street, until the mid-1990s.
Restoration
Subsequently, the Whitestone Civic Trust took over the building and undertook its restoration, notably restoring the parapet to its original details. The hotel was fully renovated and, in 2015, it returned to its original purpose by once again offering accommodation and hospitality to travelers and residents.