Pine Rivers Shire Hall is a heritage-listed

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

at 238 Gympie Road,

Strathpine Strathpine is a Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Strathpine had a population of 9,503 people. It is home to the Pine Rivers District offices of the Moreton Bay Region, as well ...

Moreton Bay Region The Moreton Bay Region is a local government area in the north of the Brisbane metropolitan city in South East Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it replaced three established local government areas, the City of Redcliffe and the Shires ...

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 built from 1889 to 1935. It is also known as Pine Divisional Board Hall, Pine Rivers Shire Hall, and Pine Shire Hall. 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

Postcard of the Pine Shire Council Hall Old Shire Hall, Strathpine, circa 1920

The rectangular first stage of this single-storeyed timber shire hall was built in 1889 and there have been three main extensions. The Pine Rivers area was opened up for selection during the 1860s. Settlers moved in, villages began to develop and the railway reached Strathpine in 1887. The Pine Rivers area was part of the

Caboolture Divisional Board The Shire of Caboolture was a local government area located in the Australian state of Queensland on the northern urban fringe of the capital, Brisbane, and south of the Sunshine Coast. The Shire covered an area of , of which approximately o ...

until 1888 when the Pine Divisional Board was gazetted. Early in 1889 the board called for tenders for a building and L Macklewright's tender for was accepted. The hall was used for division business and as a venue for social activities and by church groups. The first extension was the front extension, probably during the early 1890s. As a result of the Local Government Act of 1902 the Board changed their name to the Pine Shire Council. In 1905, a skillion roofed office at the rear of the hall was constructed. The Strathpine Patriotic League, in 1921, commissioned an honour board to be hung in the hall. In 1924 the end wall was lined to better display the war memorial and photographs. During 1932 there were two additions made to the hall along the southern elevation; an office and a glassed in side verandah about . The strong room was added to the 1932 additions about 1935. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the hall was used by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as a recreational hall. Afterwards the hall continued to be well patronised as a social and recreational venue. In the early 1950s the hall was leased to A Charles Spencer as a picture theatre. In 1959, the Pine Shire became the

Pine Rivers Shire Council The Shire of Pine Rivers was a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Moreton Bay region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1888 until 2008, when it ...

and in 1960 they moved into the new brick Shire Office built beside the Shire Hall. During the 1960s the hall and side verandah were used for the councils building and engineering sections. A door was cut into the northern elevation to provide access to the engineers section. The front office was rented as a real estate office, and office space was provided for a visiting bank officer and doctor. The office in 1970s was the site of the first shire library. By 1978-79 the site was vacated by council officers and it was in a very dilapidated condition. It was refurbished during the 1980s and was leased in July 1985 to a theatre group. With the growth of the shire extra accommodation was required. A new Civic Centre was opened in 1974 and an Administration building in 1978. In 1986, the councils expanded office staff, required the re-use of the 1959 shire offices, and the building is now the health offices.

Description

Verandah of Pine Rivers Shire Hall at Strathpine, Queensland

This single-storeyed chamferboard building with a corrugated iron gabled roof is located fronting

Gympie Road Gympie Road is a major road in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The road forms part of the main road route from the Brisbane Central Business District (CBD) to the northern suburbs, Sunshine Coast and east coast of Qu ...

and is part of a group of Pine Shire Council buildings. The building sits on timber stumps with batten infill panels to the perimeter. The roof over the hall features four metal ridge

ventilators A ventilator is a piece of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilators ...

and a single lancet shaped vent to the front and rear

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s. The street elevation has a

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

h with a corrugated iron roof and cross braced timber balustrades. The building is painted to indicate the two major stages of construction with different decorative timber work to the verandah and two entrance

stairs Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

. The entrance doors to the hall are timber panelled with a fanlight but are not used in the current layout. At the rear of the L-shaped building is an attached dressing room with a corrugated iron skillion roof, single skin chamferboard walls and pine board raked ceiling. The hall has a flat boarded ceiling which is raked on either side and features circular fretwork vents. The walls are lined with fibrous cement sheets with timber cover strips and the multi-paned windows pivot horizontally at the centre. The room has raised freestanding seating at the street end and a raised stage opposite, with

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

and curtains hung from the ceiling by metal supports. On the southern side is a child-care room with a corrugated iron skillion roof. The original windows to the hall have been enclosed and the external walls of weatherboard and vertically jointed boards have been lined with fibrous cement sheets. A rear

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

and stairs are attached to the southwest. On the southern side, at the rear of the office, is a concrete strongroom with a steel door. The office has been partitioned with a kitchen and storeroom. The walls have a dado with vertically jointed boards below and pine plywood panelling above to the picture rail. The ceiling and upper walls are lined with fibrous cement sheets with timber cover strips and the casement windows have pressed metal sunhoods on the southeast.

Heritage listing

The former Pine Rivers Shire Hall 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. With the associated council buildings, the hall demonstrates the growth of the Pine Rivers Shire Council from 1888 to the present day. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. The hall is an example of a late 1880s local government building. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The hall has aesthetic value and contributes to the streetscape of the Pine River Shire Council group of buildings. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The hall has an important role in the community life of Pine Shire residents. The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history. With the associated council buildings, the hall demonstrates the growth of the Pine Rivers Shire Council from 1888 to the present day.

References

Attribution

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Pine Rivers Shire Hall Queensland Heritage Register Town halls in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register 1889 establishments in Australia Shire of Pine Rivers Buildings and structures in Moreton Bay Region