QUEENSLAND CULTURAL CENTRE Conservation Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
QUEENSLAND CULTURAL CENTRE Conservation Management Plan JUNE 2017 Queensland Cultural Centre Conservation Management Plan A report for Arts Queensland June 2017 © Conrad Gargett 2017 Contents Introduction 1 Aims 1 Method and approach 2 Study area 2 Supporting documentation 3 Terms and definitions 3 Authorship 4 Abbreviations 4 Chronology 5 1 South Brisbane–historical overview 7 Indigenous occupation 7 Penal settlement 8 Early development: 1842–50 8 Losing the initiative: 1850–60 9 A residential sector: 1860–1880 10 The boom period: 1880–1900 11 Decline of the south bank: 1900–1970s 13 2 A cultural centre for Queensland 15 Proposals for a cultural centre: 1880s–1960s 15 A new art gallery 17 Site selection and planning—a new art gallery 18 The competition 19 The Gibson design 20 Re-emergence of a cultural centre scheme 21 3 Design and construction 25 Management and oversight of the project 25 Site acquisition 26 Design approach 27 Design framework 29 Construction 32 Costing and funding the project 33 Jubilee Fountain 34 Shared facilities 35 The Queensland Cultural Centre—a signature project 36 4 Landscape 37 Alterations to the landscape 41 External artworks 42 Cultural Forecourt 43 5 Art Gallery 49 Design and planning 51 A temporary home for the Art Gallery 51 Opening 54 The Art Gallery in operation 54 Alterations 58 Auditorium (The Edge) 61 6 Performing Arts Centre 65 Planning the performing arts centre 66 Construction and design 69 Opening 76 Alterations to QPAC 79 Performing Arts Centre in use 80 7 Queensland Museum 87 Geological Garden (Museum Garden) 89 Opening 89 Alterations 93 8 State Library 97 9 Cultural Centre 1990–2015 99 Stage 5—Playhouse Theatre 99 Stage 6—Millennium Arts project 101 Cultural Centre Busway Station 103 The Cultural Centre and South Brisbane 103 10 Cultural heritage significance 105 Statement of cultural heritage significance 105 Schedule of significance 109 11 Conservation policy 117 Cultural Centre 117 Landscape and external spaces 122 Cultural Forecourt 126 Buildings and fabric 127 Art Gallery 128 QPAC 130 Queensland Museum 134 The Edge 135 Management 135 Appendix 139 Glossary—Heritage conservation terms 139 Legislation—guiding principles for statutory bodies 140 Bibliography 143 Select index 145 Illustrations 1 Site plan, Queensland Cultural Centre with heritage boundary 2 2 Plan of South Brisbane, 1864 10 3 Victoria Bridge, 1874 10 4 Key facilities, South Brisbane, 1895 11 5 Hardgrave's building, corner Stanley and Russell Streets 12 6 South Brisbane Railway Station opened in 1891 12 7 Proposal for the redevelopment of the south side of the Brisbane River, 1944 13 8 Proposal for the redevelopment of Stanley Street, 1948 13 9 South Brisbane in 1976 14 10 Plan of proposed Museum, Wickham Terrace by Charles McLay, 1891 15 11 Wickham Park aerial view 16 12 Plan of proposal for new public facilities in Brisbane 16 13 Plan for location of Cultural Centre near Botanic Gardens, 1949 16 14 Sites identified for an art gallery 17 16 Model of the Cultural Centre prepared in 1974 22 17 Article in Courier Mail, 15 November 1974, 22 18 Original ownership of properties acquired for Cultural Centre 1969–80 26 19 Master plan, Queensland Cultural Centre, 1975 27 20 Central Library, The University of Queensland, 1973 27 21 Cultural Centre model, 1975 28 22 Oakland Museum, San Francisco 28 23 Proposed vehicular and pedestrian circulation 31 24 Model of the Cultural Centre, c. 1977 33 25 Opening of Jubilee Fountain by Queen Elizabeth II, 1977 35 26 Aerial view of Queensland Cultural Centre, 1986 36 27 Embankment and towpath between Art Gallery and river, c. 1985 38 28 QPAC Green, c. 1986 38 29 Art Gallery Plaza, c. 1985 38 30 View across Water Mall to QPAC, c. 1987 38 31 Art Gallery Plaza, 2016 40 32 Museum Plaza, 2016 40 33 Cascade Court and Fountain, 2016 40 34 QPAC Green, 2016 40 35 Tipuana trees adjacent to Embankment, 2016 40 36 Cascade Fountain designed by Robert Woodward 41 37 Steel sculpture Leviathan Play 42 38 Aluminium sculpture Offshoot by Clement Meadmore, 42 39 Sculpture Approaching Equilibrium , by Anthony Pryor 42 40 The site of the Cultural Forecourt in the 1980s 43 41 The Cultural Forecourt in front of QPAC, 2016 43 42 Principal open spaces, 2016 45 43 Plan, Cultural Forecourt, 2016 45 44 Plan, Museum Plaza, 2016 46 45 Plan, Art Gallery and Embankment, 2016 46 46 Plan, Pelican Plaza and Umbrella Plaza, 2016 46 47 Plan, QPAC Green, 2016 47 48 Plan, Playhouse Green, 2016 47 49 Brisbane Town Hall 49 50 National Art Gallery in Lands and Survey Office 49 51 Queensland Art Gallery in Exhibition Building 49 52 Model, Art Gallery, 1973 50 53 Art Gallery–plans and sections 52 54 Gallery 11, Queensland Art Gallery, 1986 53 55 Water Mall, Queensland Art Gallery, 1986 53 56 Melbourne Street entrance, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 55 57 Entrance from Melbourne Street, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 55 58 Gallery 4, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 55 59 Gallery 2, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 55 60 Gallery 6, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 55 61 Water Mall, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 56 62 Pelicans and fountains, Water Mall, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 56 63 Water Mall and dining, Sculpture Courtyard, 56 64 Dandelion fountains, Water Mall, Queensland Art Gallery, 2016 56 65 Waterfalls, Melbourne Street, 2016 56 66 Aerial plan, Art Gallery Sculpture Courtyard, 2016 57 67 Queensland Art Gallery original plans 59 68 Queensland Art Gallery altered plans 60 69 The Edge with planter boxes and later glazing on river elevation, 2016 61 70 The Auditorium, shortly after completion in 1982 62 71 Main space in Auditorium 62 72 Fountain Room, Auditorium, 62 73 The Edge—original plans 63 74 The Edge—altered plans 64 75 Her Majesty's Theatre, c. 1898 65 76 Concert in Exhibition Concert Hall, 1901 65 77 Functional relationships diagram 68 78 Queensland Performing Arts Centre, c. 1986 70 79 Central foyer, QPAC, c. 1986 70 80 Pacific Nexus mural by Lawrence Daws 70 81 Plans and sections, QPAC 72 82 Interior of Concert Hall 73 83 Interior of Concert Hall, view to stalls and balcony 73 84 Concert Hall organ 74 85 Interior of Lyric Theatre, c. 1986 75 86 Interior of Lyric Theatre, balcony seating, c. 1986 75 87 Concert Hall, QPAC, 2016 77 88 Lyric Theatre, QPAC, 2016 77 89 Grey Street elevation, QPAC, 2016 78 90 Cremorne Theatre, 2016 78 91 Alterations to central foyer with PWD toilet, 2016 78 92 Lyric Theatre, main foyer, 2016 78 93 Concert Hall, level 5 foyer, 2016 78 94 Opening celebrations for Performing Arts Centre 79 95 QPAC, original plan, levels 0 & 1 81 96 QPAC, altered plan, levels 0 & 1 82 97 QPAC, original plan, levels 2 & 3 83 98 QPAC, altered plans, levels 2 & 3 84 99 QPAC, original plans, levels 4 & 5 85 100 QPAC, altered plans, levels 4 & 5 86 101 First Queensland Museum building, William Street 87 102 Queensland Museum located in Exhibition Building, c. 1910 87 103 Bert Hinkler's biplane, Queensland Museum 87 104 Museum Garden, originally the Geological Garden, 2016 89 105 Queensland Museum, elevation to Melbourne Street, c. 1988 91 106 Queensland Museum, elevation to Grey Street, c. 1988 91 107 Interior of Queensland Museum, level 2, c. 1987 92 108 Interior of Queensland Museum, mezzanine level and level 3 92 109 Queensland Museum, level 2 93 110 Queensland Museum, original floor plans 94 111 Queensland Museum, altered floor plans 95 112 State Library of Queensland, river elevation, 1988 98 113 State Library of Queensland, Stanley Street elevation, 1988 98 114 Playhouse Theatre, facing Russell Street and the Cultural Forecourt, 2016 100 115 Master plan, Millennium Arts project, 2001 102 116 View of busway station from Melbourne Street bridge, 2016 103 117 Aerial view of Expo '88 and the Cultural Centre, 1988 104 Introduction The Queensland Cultural Centre is located at South Brisbane and comprises the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Museum and Queensland State Library. It was constructed between 1977 and 1988 in four stages for a cost of more than $200 million. A fifth stage, The Playhouse Theatre, was completed in 1998 for a cost of $61 million. Since the Art Gallery was opened in 1982, the Queensland Cultural Centre has been a resounding success with more than five million visitors in 2015. The Queensland Cultural Centre is the responsibility of Arts Queensland, which leases the buildings to the respective statutory arts bodies: Queensland Museum Board of Trustees Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees Queensland Performing Arts Trust Library Board of Queensland. Part of the site was entered on the Queensland Heritage Register in June 2015 (Entry no. 602844). Aims The brief for this Conservation Management Plan is to: Provide a framework for the conservation and best practice management of the cultural precinct in recognition of its heritage values Provide guidance for future planning and the sensitivity to change of various elements of the built environment Be key to conserving and managing the precinct's heritage values into the future and will inform issues such as the future infrastructure planning and the overall asset management approach for the cultural precinct Outline conservation policies and management mechanisms that are appropriate to enable the heritage significance to be retained Where appropriate, recommend changes to curtilage, statement of significance and history of the place Be of an exemplary standard to inform future infrastructure planning for the cultural precinct. INTRODUCTION 1 8 12 Edge 1 7 State Library 11 of Queensland 23 19 2 16 16