Townsville State Government Offices is a heritage-listed

office building An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...

at 12–14 Wickham 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 an ...

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

Andrew Baxter Leven Andrew Baxter Leven (2 February 1885 – 1966) was a Scottish-born architect in Australia. As chief architect in the Queensland Department of Public Works, he designed many of Queensland's public buildings, some of which are now heritage-listed. ...

and built from 1935 to 1937 by relief workers. It is also known as Lands Department and Townsville Public Offices. 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 13 January 1995.

History

The Townsville Government Offices were constructed in 1935–37 as part of a

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

employment scheme. The

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

was responsible for the design of the buildings, the Chief Architect of the time being Andrew Baxter Leven. Townsville was proclaimed a town in 1866. It experienced its first phase of major growth when gold was discovered in the nearby town of Ravenswood in 1868. The construction of the Great Northern railway line and the development of the beef industry in the north, created modest growth in Townsville in the early twentieth century. A "new" Lands Office was built in Townsville about 1885. However, despite repairs in the early 1930s, it was decided to move the Lands Department into a new Queensland Government building housing a number of government departments. During the 1930s Depression,

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

Premier,

William Forgan Smith William Forgan Smith (15 April 188725 September 1953) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of the state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in the state during the 1930s, and his populism, firm leadershi ...

established a government-initiated works scheme under the Income (Unemployment Relief) Act (1930) to create employment. This involved the employment of architects, foremen, construction workers and the use of local materials for the construction of government buildings such as court houses, government offices, schools and council halls. The Townsville State Government Offices is a fine example of work undertaken through this scheme. The building was designed by the office of the

Queensland Government Architect The Queensland Government Architect is a position within the public service of Queensland, Australia with responsibility for the design of government buildings in Queensland. It was formerly known as the Queensland Colonial Architect. The position ...

. The Chief Architect at this time was Andrew Baxter Leven. From 1910 to 1951 Leven was employed by the Queensland Government Works Department and was Chief Architect and Quantity Surveyor from 1933 to 1951. Other members of the office involved in the design DFW Roberts and HJ Parr. The ground floor of the offices was to accommodate the Labour Agent and officers of the Lands Department, and the first floor was to provide offices for staff of the

Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is a department of the Queensland Government which aims to maximise the economic potential for Queensland's primary industries on a sustainable basis through strategic industrial development. The sec ...

, Department of Public Works and Workers' Dwellings, and the Machinery Inspector, Health Inspector, Land court room and visiting Ministers' room. The State Government Offices is typical of the tradition of high standards in design and construction of the Public Works Department, and one of a group of government buildings constructed by the department influenced by a classical revival style, including the Innisfail and

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

Court Houses and the Cairns Government Office. The State Government Offices in Townsville were designed to harmonise with the adjacent

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

. The area around Flinders Street (East) and The Strand including Wickham Street where the State Government Offices are situated, was the site of the first settlement in Townsville. In 2016, the building has been divided into a number of separate tenancies with the upper floor of the building available for lease as professional offices. The

Australian Red Cross The Australian Red Cross, formally the Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1923 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, the Australian Red Cros ...

are one of the tenants.

Description

Queensland State Archives 5014 Government Offices Townsville 1952

The Townsville State Government Offices is a two-storeyed brick building with basement and a hipped corrugated-iron roof. The facade of the building features two projecting end bays with round arched window and door openings. Between the bays is a two-storey

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

with open verandahs. A centrally located bi-furcated staircase emphasises the entrance. The building is decorated with classical design features including the round arched openings and prominent

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

and

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...

. The balconies and verandahs are designed as a response to the Townsville climate and allow for cross-ventilation of all rooms and offices. The

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony is ...

floors are of concrete and the ground floor verandahs, entrance hall and main staircase are finished in

terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bindi ...

Heritage listing

Townsville State Government Offices was listed on the

on 13 January 1995 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. The Townsville State Government Offices is an example of construction work undertaken under the unemployment relief scheme instigated by the State Government in the 1930s. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. Townsville State Government Offices, erected in 1935–37, is significant as a good example of the work of the Queensland Works Department, influenced by a classical revival style. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The building complements the adjacent Townsville Customs House, and is harmonious in scale and form, making a significant contribution to the townscape.

References

Attribution

External links

{{commons category-inline, Townsville State Government Offices (Wickham Street) Queensland Heritage Register Government buildings in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register Townsville CBD Queensland Heritage Register sites located in Townsville