The Bank of Australasia is a heritage-listed former

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

at 116A Brisbane Street,

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

City of Ipswich The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The Ci ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It was designed by

Reed & Barnes Bates Smart is an architectural firm with studios in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1853 by Joseph Reed, it is known as one of Australia's oldest architectural firms. Over the decades, the firm's multidisciplinary practices involv ...

and built in 1878. It is also known as Council Offices, Ipswich Library, and Ipswich Visitors and Tourist Information Centre. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

The former Bank of Australasia was constructed in 1878 with an attached manager's residence. The architects were Reed and Barnes of Melbourne. The Bank acquired a lease on the corner of Brisbane and Nicholas Streets, occupied by the original St Paul's Church which was being used as a school. The old building was demolished and a bank was constructed. The bank bought the property in 1925. The bank closed in 1943, and it remained empty until the

Ipswich City Council The City of Ipswich is a local government area in Queensland, Australia, located within the southwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area, including the urban area surrounding the city of Ipswich and surrounding rural areas. Geography The Ci ...

threatened to resume the property, eventually purchasing it. In 1985, the Rates Office moved to the new Council Administration Building in South Street and the former bank was used to accommodate shops after Reids department store burned down. In 1991, the building became the city's tourist information centre and the office of Ipswich Events Corporation. In 2015, the building was occupied by the Indian Mehfil Restaurant.

Description

The former Bank of Australasia is single-storey load-bearing brick building. Internally, the remains of the strong room are identifiable and there are modern partitions. Some apparently original sections of

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

remain at the northern end.

Heritage listing

The former Bank of Australasia was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. Built in 1878, the place is important in demonstrating the evolution of banking services in major towns and demonstrates the principal characteristics of a 19th-century bank with attached residence. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. Built in 1878, the place is important in demonstrating the evolution of banking services in major towns and demonstrates the principal characteristics of a 19th-century bank with attached residence. It is associated with the work of Melbourne architects Reed and Barnes as a variant of a standard bank design adapted slightly for the Queensland climate. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. It exhibits aesthetic characteristics valued by the community as a finely-detailed and executed example of a revival classic commercial building. It is an important element in a group of civic buildings and makes an important contribution to the streetscape. The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history. It is associated with the work of the School of Arts and Ipswich City Council in providing library services.

References

Attribution

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Bank of Australasia, Ipswich Queensland Heritage Register Ipswich, Queensland Former bank buildings in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register