William Hodgen (1866–1943) was an architect in

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. Many of his works are now heritage-listed. He is also known as William Hodgen, junior.

Early life

William Hodgen was born in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

on 9 September 1866, the son of pioneer building contractor William Hodgen and his wife Eliza (née Nelson).

Architectural career

From 1886 to 1891, Hodgen was a cadet in the

Queensland Colonial 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 ...

's Office in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

from 1886 to 1891. In 1891, he left for London, where he studied at the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

, whilst working with a number of prominent London architects. He passed his examinations with honours in 1893 and was elected an Associate of the Institute. Hodgen returned to Queensland in December 1896. Hodgen established a private practice in

with an advertisement in the ''

Darling Downs Gazette The ''Darling Downs Gazette'' was a newspaper published from 1848 to 1922 in Drayton and Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia. History ''The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser'' was founded in 1858 by Arthur Sidney Lyon. The first issu ...

'' of 6 February 1897 announcing he was a new Toowoomba architect. He immediately received a substantial commission from retailer T.C. Beirne for works to his newly established Fortitude Valley premises as well as winning a competition for the new Victoria Wing of the

Toowoomba Hospital Toowoomba Hospital is a heritage-listed hospital at Pechey Street, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to . It is also known as Toowoomba Base Hospital. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 ...

. Growth and development in both Toowoomba and the Downs and his own efficient work meant he soon had a busy and successful practice. While trained in Queensland, his London experiences and knowledge of the Arts and Crafts movement and Edwardian Classicism were expressed in some of his buildings. However, he tended to employ a Free style, modifying the prevailing Queensland vernacular by introducing individualist elements. His English experiences are reflected in the classicist detailing of entrance

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

s using timber, joinery and internal fittings. Hodgen was in practice for 43 years and he designed a large number of buildings varying from small cottages to sporting facilities, halls and large complex hotels in Toowoomba and on the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

. In April 1907, a public meeting was held in Gatton at which it was decided to erect a memorial. A design competition was announced and it was won by William Hodgen. From 1935 he worked in partnership with his sons as W Hodgen and Hodgen, but practised until his death. His portfolio of work was both extensive and broadranging, encompassing homes, institutions, commercial and industrial buildings.

Later life

Hodgen died on 29 June 1943. He left an estate valued at £31,092. He founded a dynasty of architects in Toowoomba; in addition to sons, his grandson Brian Hodgen and his great-grandson practised as architects in Toowoomba.

Notable works

His notable works include: * 1897:

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

(residence), Toowoomba * 1899: Victory Wing at

* 1901: Extensions to Wesleyan Methodist Church, Toowoomba * 1903: Rectory at St Matthew's Anglican Church, Drayton * 1904: Conversion of

Old Toowoomba Court House Old Toowoomba Court House is a heritage-listed courthouse at 90 Margaret Street, East Toowoomba, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1861 to 1864. It is also known as Old Toowoomba Gaol Wall, Austral Museum, a ...

into

Austral Hall The Austral Society was founded in 1903 because of the influence of The Toowoomba poet George Essex Evans to promote Australian Arts and Culture. The Society purchased part of the closed Toowoomba Gaol grounds and let a tender to roof part of th ...

, Toowoomba * 1904:

Tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

(residence), Toowoomba * 1905: Tyson Manor, Toowoomba * 1907: Elphin (residence), Toowoomba * 1907: Boer War Memorial, Gatton * 1908: Wislet (house and hospital), Toowoomba * 1911: Conversion of residence Dalmally into Bishop's House, Toowoomba * 1912: Freshney House (nurses' quarters), Toowoomba Hospital * 1913: Hotel Charleville,

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** ...

* 1914:

Glennie Memorial School The Glennie School (formerly the Glennie Memorial School) is a girls' school in Newtown, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It caters for primary and secondary schooling from K-12. It has boarding house facilities and is owned and operated by the ...

, Toowoomba * 1923: Soldiers Memorial Hall, Toowoomba * 1924: Hotel Corones, Charleville * 1931: Swimming pool at Glen Alpine, Toowoomba (one of first domestic swimming pools in Toowoomba) * 1934:

Toowoomba Permanent Building Society Toowoomba Permanent Building Society is a heritage-listed former building society at 2 Russell Street, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William Hodgen and built from 1934 to 1982. It is also known as Cleary ...

References

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based o
''"The Queensland heritage register"''
published by the

State of 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 ...