Wintergarden is a shopping centre located in the city of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. It was opened by the

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

the Honourable

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...

in 1982. It contains over 60 specialty stores over three levels. The centre was developed initially by the Kern Corporation Limited and constructed by subsidiary, Kern Construction and was the brainchild of the then MD, Mr. V.B. Paul; it was intended to create a retail focus to the Brisbane

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the ex ...

held in 1982.

History

The location previously operated as the Wintergarden Theatre cinema complex from 1924 until it closed in 1973 and was demolished in 1981. The original building was designed by Ballantyne and Hare of Melbourne. Hall and Prentice in Brisbane provided local design assistance. The theatre featured a Wurlitzer pipe organ which could be raised and lowered from the orchestra pit. In 1929 the rival Regent Theatre opened also in Queen Street. With the transfer of ownership of the theatre to the Kern Corporation in the 1970s, and plans for the construction of the

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...

, the Her Majestys Theatre building next door to the Wintergarden was also marked for demolition and inclusion in the proposed new Wintergarden shopping centre.

Shopping precinct development

The development beginning in the 1980s covered two stages, the first provided for three levels of retail and a two-storey carpark above. It boasted several national retailers previously unknown to Brisbane shoppers and the first CBD food courts covering a variety of cuisines. In 1987 the second stage was developed adjacent to the Stage 1 and comprised additional specialty shops a multi-cuisine sit-down restaurant (again, a first for the city and originally operated for 24-hours) and the Hilton Hotel which was intended to provide 5-star accommodation for the 1988 Brisbane World Expo. In November 2009, it was announced that a $100 million refurbishment of Wintergarden would take place in two 12-month stages. The Wintergarden's facade was enhanced on all three street frontages. As part of the exterior works, the old skybridge linking the Wintergarden to the David Jones

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...

was removed. In addition, screens were placed above each entrance, which feature programmed LED lighting. Redevelopment principal architect was The Buchan Group, and redevelopment façade architects were Studio 505. Redevelopment was completed in 2012.

Gallery

File:Windergarden-Brisbane-1.jpg File:Wintergarden-Brisbane-2.jpg File:Wintergarden-Brisbane-4.jpg File:Wintergarden-sign-Edward-Street.jpg

References

External links

Wintergarden HomepageWintergarden Targets Top End Fashion Stores
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