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Parliament House Conservation Plan

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Parliament House Conservation Plan Parliament House Conservation Plan Prepared for: Parliamentary Service Parliament House Brisbane Prepared by: Project Services 80 George Street Brisbane Date: March 2010 Cover: W.C. Fitler, Parliament House, Brisbane, 1880s EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Parliament House, Brisbane, was built in 1865─68 to the design of the Colonial Architect Charles Tiffin. It was Queensland’s first purpose-built parliamentary building, replacing temporary chambers in former convict barracks on another site. The building was extended in 1888─91 and a high-rise Annexe was added in the 1970s to provide additional offices and services, including meeting and function facilities and overnight accommodation for Members. The nineteenth- century building was extensively renovated in 1981─82 and continues to house Queensland’s Parliament. The building stands on an important site in inner Brisbane next to the Botanic Gardens and the former Domain and overlooking a bend of the Brisbane River. The whole site is entered in the State Heritage Register and is subject to the provisions of the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. The building was remarkably ambitious for a young colony. It is a three-storey, sandstone structure in the Renaissance Revival style, its mansard roofs, projecting tower-like structures and arcades recalling the Louvre. Initially, the building was to be four wings ranged around a courtyard, to house both Parliament and public offices, but was not completed in that form. The building layout is intact, with the principal rooms located on the first floor. The George Street wing, the earliest, contains the double-height Legislative Chambers and the original Libraries, though the Council Chamber has not been used since the Council’s abolition in 1922. The later Alice Street wing contains offices and Members’ facilities. The building interior is ornate and the principal rooms retain much of their original, purpose-made furniture. The most important findings of this study are: Parliament House is of high cultural heritage significance for its history, its architecture, its interiors, its contents and for its symbolic importance to the people of Queensland; its collection of colonial furniture is the largest and most significant in Queensland; the Annexe is of low cultural significance but fulfils an important role in enabling the nineteenth-century building to continue in its original use relatively unchanged; the grounds provide an appropriate setting for the buildings and include such significant elements as the original palisade fence, the courtyard and historic trees; in general, Parliament House is well managed, however overcrowding and some activities place the building and its contents at risk; the building contents require specialised care; improved fire protection is a priority; the condition of the stained glass is of concern; and the public presentation and interpretation of Parliament House are yet to be fully developed. Key recommendations are: the existing use of Parliament House is significant and should continue; the buildings, contents and grounds should be managed to retain their cultural heritage significance; improved fire protection of the ninteenth-century building should be designed by a fire engineer within heritage constraints; further research should be undertaken on the stained and decorative glass, and a suitably qualified stained glass conservator should be engaged to assess its condition; the stonework restoration project should remain a priority; management of potentially damaging activities should be reviewed; building users should be better informed of the special requirements for protecting the historic fabric; a suitably qualified curator should be engaged, at least in the short term, to oversee the care and presentation of the building contents; a modified approach to the decoration of the interiors should be considered for improved interpretation; consideration should be given to creating interactive displays, similar to those recently established at Old Government House; the existing heritage listing boundary should remain and an exemption certificate under the Queensland Heritage Act should be sought for building work to the Annexe and for minor works; there are opportunities for building extensions to the Annexe, providing the courtyard is retained; and the site of Parliament House is constrained. Consideration should be given to reserving the land bound by Alice, William and Margaret Streets and the Riverside Expressway adjacent to the Parliamentary complex. CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Parliament House............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Site data ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Conservation Plan ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 Authorship ............................................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER 2: HISTORY ................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Old Legislative Building .................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 The new colony of Queensland............................................................................................................ 5 2.1.2 The first parliamentary building ............................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Planning a new Parliament House.................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 A new Parliament House...................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.2 The design competition ........................................................................................................................ 8 2.2.3 The final design .................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2.4 The finance......................................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 The site.............................................................................................................................................. 13 2.4 First stage of construction.............................................................................................................. 16 2.4.1 Laying the foundation stone ............................................................................................................... 16 2.4.2 Construction ....................................................................................................................................... 16 2.4.3 Parliament meets in the new building ................................................................................................ 18 2.4.4 Description ......................................................................................................................................... 19 2.4.5 A ‘Legislative Palace Building’ ........................................................................................................... 27 2.5 Completing the colonial Parliament ............................................................................................... 28 2.5.1 The arcades ....................................................................................................................................... 28 2.5.2 The importance of refreshments ........................................................................................................ 29 2.5.3 Alterations and repairs ....................................................................................................................... 29 2.5.4 Redecorating ...................................................................................................................................... 31 2.5.5 Installation of electricity ...................................................................................................................... 32 2.5.6 The grounds ....................................................................................................................................... 33 2.6 Alice Street wing .............................................................................................................................. 37 2.6.1 Planning ............................................................................................................................................. 37 2.6.2 Construction ....................................................................................................................................... 40 2.6.3 Description ........................................................................................................................................
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