Ipswich Town Hall
Town Hall (Ipswich, Queensland), is located at 114 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, Queensland – the old town hall is heritage listed,[1] but no longer used for council meetings.
History
Since its inception in 1861 the building has had many uses, and several extensions. The old town hall was originally the Ipswich School of Arts incorporating a library and meeting rooms. The façade of the building fronting Brisbane Street dates from 1864 and is 2 stories of brick with render finish and rich decoration.
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Council assumed control of the building in 1869 when the School of Arts committee experienced financial problems. By 1892 it was felt that the town hall was too small and an extension was designed by well-known architect George Brockwell Gill who is responsible for many beautiful and heritage listed buildings in Ipswich. Perhaps its most notable feature is the short and square but blank clock tower located on the roof. A clock was erected in the School of Arts in 1879. However, in 1901, when the Ipswich Post Office was constructed next door, it too featured a grand clock tower. Sometime between 1910 and 1913 the School of Arts clock was relocated to Sandgate Town Hall, hence the blank clock tower of today.
In the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century the hall was used for adult education classes, staging of plays and concerts, boxing tournaments, immunisation clinics, and the Red Cross Chelsea Flower Show. During the 1940s dances were a big drawcard. The hall closed to the public and became council offices in 1969. Later it housed shops and in the late 1990s the site was redeveloped as an arts complex.
Today, the town hall is restored and contains the Ipswich Art Gallery.
References
Further reading
- Buchanan, Robyn, (2004), Ipswich in the 20th Century, "Ipswich City Council", ISBN 0958706352
External links
Coordinates: 27°36′52″S 152°45′33″E / 27.6145°S 152.7592°E