Dominating King George Square in the Central Business District (CBD) is Brisbane's City Hall. We'be made a habit of exploring the main administrative buildings of each city we've visited because they always seem to be full of interesting local background history. Brisbane's City Hall did not disappoint in this respect. Built on a swamp, known as the "horse pond", in the 1920's, it was officially opened in 1930. Covering nearly two acres, with a clock tower (which was modeled after St. Mark's Campanile in Venice) that soared 298 feet above the ground, it was the tallest building in Brisbane until building height restrictions were eased in 1967. Because of its marshy beginnings, the building had been sinking since it opened. As a result , a massive three year restoration project began in 2009. Most of the city's administrative offices have moved to an adjacent building, leaving only the Lord Mayor's office, the Deputy Mayor's office, and the Council Chambers in the original building. In spite of this, city hall is still one of the busiest in Brisbane, with many concerts, special functions, and meetings being held in. Any of its reception rooms. One of the things we liked was that the city provided free tours of this building (anything free is a bonus for us). Also located within city hall is the Museum of Brisbane, which includes a 15 minute tour up through the clock tower (both of which are free also). The clock tower tour takes you up to the observation deck almost three hundred feet above the city, in the oldest manually operated elevator in Australia. While views from here are somewhat restricted by the many tall buildings that have sprouted up around city hall, they still are impressive. Part of this tour included seeing the backsides of the four massive clock faces, the largest in Australia. While visiting city hall, make sure to enjoy some light refreshments in the Shingle Inn Cafe on the ground floor. This is the oldest restaurant in Brisbane.
Brisbane's City Hall, with its 298 foot tall clock tower, dominates King George Square in the CBD.
The square is dedicated to King George, V (1910 to 1936), grandson of Queen Victoria, following his death in 1936.
The sculptured pediment above the entrance , know as the "Tympanum", was carved by noted Brisbane sculptor, Daphne Mayo, in the early 1930's.
Most of the Italian marble comprising the main foyer was taken from the same quarry used by Michelangelo for his"David."
City Councillors meet in this chamber every Tuesday at 2:00 pm and the meetings are open to the public.
Considered by many to be the busiest space in the building, the main auditorium just underwent a resurfacing of its floor.
Estimated to be worth five million dollars, the Father Henry Willis Organ is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere .
Modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, the auditorium is dominated by the huge dome, which is lighted by over 8500 LED's.
Take the oldest manually operated elevator up the clock tower....
...to view some of the city from the observation deck...
...and to get a glimpse of the backside of the four-foot diameter clock faces.
City Hall's third floor hosts the Museum of Brisbane, depicting the history of the city.
On the ground floor is the Shingle Inn Cafe; the oldest in Brisbane (1936)....
Some of the tea cakes that made the Shingles Inn Cafe famous.
RSS Feed
