People's Palace, Brisbane
Encyclopedia
The People's Palace was a temperance hotel in Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
. It is located at 308 Edward Street
on the southern corner with Ann Street
, diagonally opposite to Brisbane's Central Railway Station
. The building is on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The People's Palace was built in 1910-1911 by the Salvation Army
to provide affordable accommodation for working class
travelling people. It was designed by the Lieutenant-Colonel Saunders, the Salvation Army's architect and secretary for property affairs. Construction commenced in March 1910 under Saunders' personal supervision.
Although not quite complete, the hotel was decorated with bright flags and hangings to celebrate Coronation Day (22 June 1911), the coronation of King George V
.
The hotel was officially opened on Tuesday 27 June 1911. It was under the control of Major Wilson assisted by Ensign John McLean. It was popular with travellers to Brisbane due to its convenient location to the central railway station. The building also was the Queensland headquarters for the Social Wing of the Salvation Army.
Neither alcohol
nor gambling
was permitted in the hotel.
In the early morning of Thursday 20 January 1938, an electrical wire started a fire and burned out the upper storey. Fortunately the damage was covered by insurance.
The building operated as a temperance hotel until 1979. After that, it was leased out as budget accommodation, used as Salvation Army offices and most recently operated as a backpacker hostel.
building in the Federation style. It has a corner octagonal tower which serves as the building entrance.
It originally comprised 3 floors of accommodation with a service basement
and a rooftop garden, build as a hollow rectangle to allow light and air to reach the internal rooms. In 1913 the building was extended to add an additional 2 floors of accommodation, creating a building of such height that special fire safety were imposed. Despite this, many years later, to meet modern fire standards, a set of brick fire stairs has had to be added into the central hollow.
The roof level comprises a steeply pitched roof with red tiles arranged in a diamond pattern and dormer windows. The tower roof is bell-shaped and also has small dormer windows.
Its very distinctive appearance derives from the extensive use of decorative cast iron work for the balustrades of its verandah
s and from the contrast of the cream-coloured render
against the red brick on the upper part of the tower. Being situated on a hill on a busy intersection, it is one of Brisbane's most recognisable buildings.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located at 308 Edward Street
Edward Street, Brisbane
Edward Street is a busy thoroughfare in the Brisbane central business district, Queensland, Australia. It is a one way street located between Albert Street and Creek Street, and runs from Upper Edward Street to Alice Street....
on the southern corner with Ann Street
Ann Street, Brisbane
Ann Street runs parallel to Adelaide Street and is the northern-most street in the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. It is a major thoroughfare, running straight through the city and linking the suburb of Fortitude Valley with the Riverside Expressway....
, diagonally opposite to Brisbane's Central Railway Station
Central railway station, Brisbane
Central railway station is, as the name suggests, the central railway station for the Queensland Rail City network in the Brisbane central business district, the state capital of Queensland, Australia...
. The building is on the Queensland Heritage Register.
History
Commandant Booth first proposed a People's Palace for Brisbane in July 1899, following the success of the People's Palace in Sydney. However, the original vision was for intended as a refuge or shelter accommodation.The People's Palace was built in 1910-1911 by the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
to provide affordable accommodation for working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
travelling people. It was designed by the Lieutenant-Colonel Saunders, the Salvation Army's architect and secretary for property affairs. Construction commenced in March 1910 under Saunders' personal supervision.
Although not quite complete, the hotel was decorated with bright flags and hangings to celebrate Coronation Day (22 June 1911), the coronation of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
.
The hotel was officially opened on Tuesday 27 June 1911. It was under the control of Major Wilson assisted by Ensign John McLean. It was popular with travellers to Brisbane due to its convenient location to the central railway station. The building also was the Queensland headquarters for the Social Wing of the Salvation Army.
Neither alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
nor gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
was permitted in the hotel.
In the early morning of Thursday 20 January 1938, an electrical wire started a fire and burned out the upper storey. Fortunately the damage was covered by insurance.
The building operated as a temperance hotel until 1979. After that, it was leased out as budget accommodation, used as Salvation Army offices and most recently operated as a backpacker hostel.
Architecture
The building is a red brick and renderStucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
building in the Federation style. It has a corner octagonal tower which serves as the building entrance.
It originally comprised 3 floors of accommodation with a service basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
and a rooftop garden, build as a hollow rectangle to allow light and air to reach the internal rooms. In 1913 the building was extended to add an additional 2 floors of accommodation, creating a building of such height that special fire safety were imposed. Despite this, many years later, to meet modern fire standards, a set of brick fire stairs has had to be added into the central hollow.
The roof level comprises a steeply pitched roof with red tiles arranged in a diamond pattern and dormer windows. The tower roof is bell-shaped and also has small dormer windows.
Its very distinctive appearance derives from the extensive use of decorative cast iron work for the balustrades of its verandah
Verandah
A veranda or verandah is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
s and from the contrast of the cream-coloured render
Render
Render or rendering may refer to:In Computing:* Artistic rendering, creating, shading and texturing of an image* Architectural rendering, creating two-dimensional images or animations showing the attributes of a proposed architectural design...
against the red brick on the upper part of the tower. Being situated on a hill on a busy intersection, it is one of Brisbane's most recognisable buildings.