The People's Palace is a heritage-listed building and a former

temperance hotel A coffee palace was an often large and elaborate residential hotel that did not serve alcohol, most of which were built in Australia in the late 19th century. A modest temperance hotel was opened in 1826 by activist Gerrit Smith in his hom ...

in the

Brisbane CBD Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...

City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...

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 , establishe ...

, Australia. It is located at 308 Edward Street on the southern corner with Ann Street, diagonally opposite to Brisbane's Central Railway Station. It was designed by Colonel Saunders and built from 1910 to 1911. 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. A ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

Commandant

Herbert Booth Herbert Henry Howard Booth (26 August 1862 – 25 September 1926) was a Salvation Army officer, the third son of five children to William and Catherine Booth (Mumford), who later went on to serve as an independent evangelist. He oversaw t ...

of the Salvation Army first proposed a People's Palace for Brisbane in July 1899, following the success of the People's Palace in Sydney. However, the original vision was for intended as a refuge or shelter accommodation. The People's Palace was built in 1910–1911 by the Salvation Army as a temperance hotel to provide inexpensive "

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

" accommodation for travellers. It was designed by the Lieutenant-Colonel Saunders, the Salvation Army's architect and secretary for property affairs. It was situated across the road from the Temperance Hall operated by the Brisbane Total Abstinence Society. The People's Palace comprised three floors of accommodation with 130 rooms, a service basement and a rooftop garden. Construction commenced in March 1910 under Saunders' personal supervision. The concept of temperance hotels grew out of the temperance movement and the Peoples Palace was the first of its type in Queensland. No alcohol, gambling or "other evils" were permitted on the premises. Although not quite complete, the hotel was decorated with bright flags and hangings to celebrate Coronation Day (22 June 1911), the coronation of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

. The hotel was officially opened on 27 June 1911. It was under the control of Major Wilson assisted by Ensign John McLean. It was popular with travellers to Brisbane due to its convenient location to the Brisbane's Central railway station. The building also was the Queensland headquarters for the Social Wing of the Salvation Army. In 1913 extensions were undertaken which involved adding an extra two storeys. This created a building of such height that special fire safety measured were imposed. Despite this, many years later, to meet modern fire standards, a set of brick fire stairs had to be added. In 1929, the Canberra Temperance Hotel operated by the Queensland Prohibition League (later the Queensland Temperance League) opened on the site of the old Temperance Hall. In the early morning of Thursday 20 January 1938, an electrical wire started a fire and burned out the upper storey. Fortunately the damage was covered by insurance. Renovations and internal re-arrangements continued over the decades as uses and priorities changed. The building operated as a temperance hotel until 1979. After that, it was leased out as budget accommodation and then used as Salvation Army offices. As at July 2021, it was owned by Yamaji Australia Development (a Japanese property company) and leased to Tourism Adventure Group who operated it as a youth hostel.

Description

This large Federation style building is a predominantly red brick structure with painted cement rendered trimmings, decorative cast-iron work, and a corner tower. The plan form is that of a hollow rectangle, with the central opening providing light and air to the rooms. It comprises five storeys plus a basement, and additions above the roof line, it has continuous

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 ''vera ...

hs on three levels, while the fourth has a steeply pitched roof with red tiles in a diamond pattern punctuated by

dormer window A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable spac ...

s. The roof level comprises a steeply pitched roof with red tiles arranged in a diamond pattern and dormer windows. The corner octagonal

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

, marking the main entrance, has a bell-shaped roof with small dormers in each roof segment. Adjacent to the tower is a polygonal brick lift tower. The verandah's feature decorative

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

balustrades A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

and

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

s with timber posts and

handrails A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide safety or support. In Britain, handrails are referred to as banisters. Handrails are usually used to provide support for body or to hold clothings in a bathroom or ...

. The semi-circular arched and circular windows to the tower have cream painted cement render dressings to contrast with the red brick. StateLibQld 2 190239 Part of the dining room at the People's Palace, Brisbane, 1911

StateLibQld 2 190239 Part of the dining room at the People's Palace, Brisbane, 1911

Internally the rectangular

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

has been divided into two by the insertion of a modern brick fire stair. The

hipped roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

with clerestory remains above the basement dining saloon in the northern courtyard. This is now used as office space but its original entry doors remain.

Pressed metal ceiling A tin ceiling is an architectural element, consisting of a ceiling finished with plates of tin with designs pressed into them, that was very popular in Victorian buildings in North America in the late 19th and early 20th century. They were als ...

s remain in many sections of the building. The upper levels have not been refurbished, but the partitioning of the lower levels is not original. The original

lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobil ...

with its sliding doors, timber panelling and surrounding stairwell remains beside the entry

foyer A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, reception area or an entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cinema, etc. ...

. Its very distinctive appearance derives from the extensive use of decorative cast iron work for the

of its

verandah 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 ''vera ...

s and from the contrast of the cream-coloured render against the

red brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

on the upper part of the tower. Being situated on a hill on a busy intersection, it is one of Brisbane's most recognisable buildings.

Heritage listing

People's Palace was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage. The Peoples Palace is significant as a rare example of a purpose built temperance hotel, it demonstrates rare and uncommon aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. The building demonstrates the principal characteristics of a Federation building. The Peoples Palace is important in exhibiting aesthetic characteristics valued by the community in particular, it is a fine example of a Federation brick and render building with the corner entry tower and decorative cast-iron work on the verandahs. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The Peoples Palace is important in exhibiting aesthetic characteristics valued by the community in particular, it is a fine example of a Federation brick and render building with the corner entry tower and decorative cast-iron work on the verandahs. The Peoples Palace is significant as a prominent landmark on the corner of Ann and Edward Street with its corner tower being one of a series along Ann Street. The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history. The building is important for as it has special association with the work of the Salvation Army since 1911, an organisation of importance in Queensland's history.

References

Attribution

External links

{{Commons category, People's Palace, Brisbane
The People's Palace
– John Oxley Library Blog, State Library of Queensland Queensland Heritage Register History of Brisbane Hotels in Brisbane Heritage-listed hotels in Queensland Hotel buildings completed in 1911 1911 establishments in Australia Ann Street, Brisbane Edward Street, Brisbane Temperance movement Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register Hotels in Australia Coffeehouses and cafés in Australia