Rooney Building is a heritage-listed commercial building at 241–245 Flinders Street,

Townsville CBD Townsville City is a coastal suburb at the centre of the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Townsville City had a population of 2,910 people. It is the city's central business district and a major hub for busine ...

City of Townsville The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas, to the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock ...

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 in 1883. 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 building was constructed for

Edmund Harris Thornburgh Plant Edmund Harris Thornburgh Plant (10 December 1844 – 28 April 1926) was a mill owner and company director of mines in the Charters Towers- Ravenswood and a politician in Queensland, Australia. Early life Edmund Harris Thornburgh Plant was ...

, mill owner, company director of a number of mines in the

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits under ...

- Ravenswood area and a Member of the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

from 1905 to 1922. After construction in 1883 it was occupied by Pollard's Music Store and by the

Royal Bank of Queensland The Royal Bank of Queensland was a bank in Queensland, Australia. History The Royal Bank of Queensland commenced operation in Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the thi ...

from 1890. In 1892 Rooney & Co., the leading builders of the region, took out a lease and traded from there for the next 49 years. In 1917 Rooney Ltd purchased the building and in 1928 modernised the ground floor as a large furniture showroom. The produce firm of Samuel Allen & Sons Ltd, established in the city in 1872, purchased the site in 1953. In 1979 the windows on the first floor were replaced with aluminium and the ground floor facade altered to accommodate three shops or restaurants. In 2016, an Italian restaurant is operating from the ground floor.

Description

The Rooney Building, constructed in 1883, has a plain symmetrical facade with some classical features such as arched windows and a decorative

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

which conceals the corrugated iron roof. The ground floor facade of this cement-rendered brick building has been altered and the original

awning An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a lig ...

replaced with one of a modern

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

design. This floor is now divided into three shops. Aluminium windows have replaced the timber framed windows on the upper level while the interior of the first floor has been renovated to house offices.

Heritage listing

Rooney Building 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. Its importance is enhanced because of the contribution these commercial firms made to the development and consolidation of Townsville in the 1880s. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. While this building is representative of commercial structures of the period, it is also important as a unifying part of the Flinders Street East area. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. While this building is representative of commercial structures of the period, it is also important as a unifying part of the Flinders Street East area. 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 long association of a leading building firm with the structure, together with its construction for a prominent commercial and political figure and its later purchase by a longstanding produce firm makes this building significant.

References

Attribution

External links

{{commons category-inline, Rooney Building Queensland Heritage Register Townsville CBD Commercial buildings in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register