Location Brisbane, Queensland Floor count 3 Opened 1889 Cost 11,700 GBP Architectural style Victorian architecture | Completed 1889 Main contractor RE Burton Floors 3 Structural system Brick Architect George Henry Male Addison | |
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Type Residential, commercial Address 40 George Street, Brisbane Similar Land Administration Building, Albert Bridge - Brisbane, South Brisbane Town Hall, Treasury Building - Brisbane, Wickham Park - Brisbane | ||
The Mansions is a row of six terrace houses located on the corner of George Street and Margaret Street in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The architectural style is Victorian with Italianate influences.
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History
The Mansions were designed by G.H.M. Addison, and constructed by RE Burton in 1889 at a cost of £11,700. The project was a joint investment by three Queensland politicians; Boyd Dunlop Morehead (Premier), William Pattison (Treasurer) and John Stevenson (Member for Clermont).
An early resident of the Mansions was Dr. Lilian Violet Cooper, who was Queensland's first female doctor and Australia's first female surgeon. After World War I the building became a rooming house.
The building was offered at public auction in 1954, but after failing to reach its reserve was sold to the Government of Queensland in the same year. The purchase formed part of a larger string of acquisitions by the government (officially known as the 'George Street Plan') which were intended to address a shortage of space for administrative offices in Brisbane City. The building was subsequently refurbished at a cost of £45,054 in order to prepare it for use as government offices. The building was occupied by numerous departments including the Government Statistician's Office, Licensing Commission and the Department of Public Works.
The Mansions were scheduled for demolition in 1974 as part of the government's 'George Street Masterplan', however this plan was delayed, and a schedule adopted by Cabinet in 1979 recommended leaving the majority of the building intact, with the exception of the servants' wings and stables (which were demolished later that year). Refurbishment plans for the building were prepared by Lund Hutton Ryan Architects in 1980, with further plans completed by Conrad & Gargett and the Department of Public Works in 1982. The final renovation plan was carried out in 1984, with most of the 1950s refit removed while features including an elevator and air-conditioning plant were added.
In 2002, the Mansions were featured in a television advertisement for the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, which starred Steve Irwin.
Design
The building is significant because few terrace houses were ever built in Brisbane and even fewer remain intact today. They were built during the Victorian era in 1889 for residential use. The classic Italian design was created by G.H.M Addison using plain red bricks. The white details and cat sculptures on the building's parapet were rendered in Oamaru limestone imported from New Zealand.
Arcades were used to provide shade without blocking ventilation.