governmentbuilding

Commonwealth Government Offices is a heritage-listed office building at 232 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John Smith Murdoch and built from 1933 to 1936 by relief workers. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.[1] This building, the first office owned by the Commonwealth Government in Brisbane, was erected from 1933 to 1936. It formed part of the 1920s to 1930s local, state, and federal government re-development of the inner city Brisbane block bounded by Ann, Edward, Adelaide, and Creek Streets, resulting in the construction of Anzac Square (1928–30) flanked by imposing State and Commonwealth Government Offices.[1] In 1927 the Commonwealth Public Works Committee agreed to erect a seven-story building to cover the whole of the remaining Commonwealth property between Adelaide and Ann Streets and fronting Creek Street. The existing buildings on the site were demolished in 1928, but the downturn in the economy delayed construction. In 1933 the State Government requested that buildings begin, to provide work for the unemployed. Financial stringency called for the modification of the plans, and only two wings of the original design were built for a cost of £90,000. This work was completed in 1936 and provided 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of office space. With its restrained use of coordinated Classical detailing, the building complemented the adjacent Anzac Square and the State Government Offices. The State Government Offices are now known as the Anzac Square Building and were designed by the Queensland Government Architect's Office in keeping with Murdoch's overall scheme, and erected in stages between 1931 and 1960.[1] In 1968 the government abandoned the prescribed design for completion of the Commonwealth Government Offices and in 1972 instead erected a new 15-storey office block on the corner of Ann and Creek Streets. In the 1980s the exterior of the building was refurbished.[1] The Commonwealth Government building, situated in Adelaide Street adjacent to Anzac Square, is a seven storeyed masonry building. It has a concrete encased steel frame with a polished granite base, sandstone cladding with banded rusticated coursing to second floor level, and upper levels of rendered brick imitating the stonework below.[1] The top storey is visually separated by balconies across its openings and a large projecting cornice incorporating dentil blocks. Antifixae are regularly spaced along the upper surface of the cornice. The recess between the wings facing Anzac Square extends down to the third floor level which has an arched opening and a flat roof. The lift tower situated at the back of the recess extends above the parapet line of the remainder of the building. It culminates in an archway with a keystone, and then steps inwards to a flat top.[1] The entry facade to Adelaide Street has its end window bays visually separated. Entries occur at the base of these bays, the major public entry on the right. Plain giant order pilasters occur to either side of the fourth and fifth-floor windows of these bays. Cable molding is a decorative feature of the facade around each entry. The windows are all steel framed casements. Granite steps lead to the recessed entry doors which are bronze sheeted with adjoining bronze and copper paneling. The entry screens are wrought iron.[1] The ground floor lobby is lined with imported marble while the floor is formed of black and white mosaic tiles. The upper-level lobbies use terrazzo instead. Some of the molded plaster ornamentations is visible at the tops of the columns, on the faces of the pilasters, and under the beams on the ground floor. The upper floors have drop panels on two sides of the columns and on the face of the pilasters. A timber Commonwealth crest has been installed between the doors of two of the refurbished lifts in the lobby. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Government_Offices,_Br...

Charles Bayliss - acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemLarge.aspx?itemID=412636

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71328227/5320912 - this pic appeared in the Australian Town & Country Journal on 20th May, 1899...accompanying an article on recently appointed NSW Governor Lord Beauchamp, who had just arrived in Sydney (see 2nd page of link)...