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Australian Meat Industry Employees Union (Queensland Branch)
| Source: |
Go to the Queensland
Heritage Register for more information. |
| Identifier: |
600890 |
| Location: |
101-111 Flinders Street, TOWNSVILLE |
Local
Government: |
TOWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL |
| State: |
QLD |
Statement of
Significance: |
Built and occupied by the Bank of New South
Wales from 1887-1935, the building is associated with the
establishment of the presence of the bank in Townsville and the
growth of Townsville as a major port in North Queensland. It is
typical of bank buildings of the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries, with a ground floor plan banking chamber and a second
floor residence for the manager. The building is associated with the
Royal Australian Corps of Signals who occupied it between 1941-1948.
The announcement of the end of WWII first reached North Queensland
through this facility. Purchased by the AMIEU in 1941, and occupied
by them in 1948, the building is significant for its long
association with the Union, over 50 years, and the substantial role
that the Union played, in connection with other organisations such
as the Ross River Meatworks, in the social and economic framework of
Townsville. The building is associated with a number of other
Unions, with offices being occupied at various times by the Seamen's
Union, the Communist Party and the Queensland Trades and Labour
Council (Townsville Branch). Whilst in this building, these
organisations were involved in several industrial disputes,
including the Mount Isa Mines Strike of 1964-5, in which the Trades
and Labour Council played a key role. The exterior of the Former
Bank of New South Wales remains remarkably intact. The street
facades form a major contribution to the streetscape of the Flinders
Street East area, which retains many historical commercial
buildings. The facade of the building along Wickham Street also
contributes to the linking of this area with the historical
government precinct of lower Melton Hill. The intersection of
Flinders and Wickham Street has a prominent historical building on
each of its four corners. The interior of the building is
substantially unaltered since WWII. It is of extremely high quality
in its design, detailing and finishes. It is one of the few intact
ground floor commercial interiors of all the historical buildings of
Flinders Street East. The upper level retains its layout as a
manager's residence, and includes a white marble fireplace and
timber joinery. The building was probably designed by Sydney
architect John Smedley, and constructed by Townsville builder Denis
Kelleher under the supervision of Townsville architect WM Eyre and
his partner FDG Stanley of Brisbane. Eyre's firm, Eyre and Munro,
were later responsible for other Bank of NSW branches including
Georgetown, Winton, Cairns and Charters Towers. |
| Description: |
The Australian Meat Industry Employees Union
(AMIEU) building is a two-storeyed stuccoed masonry structure on the
corner of Flinders Street East and Wickham Street, Townsville. With
the Tattersalls Hotel (600916), the Queensland Insurance Building
(600909) and the Burns Philp and Company Ltd building (600914), it
forms a group of late-19th century commercial buildings on the four
corners of this intersection. Flinders Street East also retains many
other late-19th century commercial masonry buildings. The principle
facades of the AMIEU building are set on the street alignments of
Flinders and Wickham Streets, and joined by a curved bay at the
street corner. The facades are asymmetrical, and are divided by
pilasters and by a horizontal moulded string course between the
levels. In each bay are sets of windows, mostly double hung but some
louvres and fixed lights to the curved bay at the corner, all with
external moulded architraves,. The simple squared parapet has a
moulded and bracketed cornice above the windows, and a higher
decorative parapet with 'Bank of NSW' in relief above the main
Flinders Street entrance. This entrance is emphasised by moulded
pilasters to either side, decorative plasterwork and a segmented
arch over the doorway. Behind the parapet is a hipped roof with
moulded chimneys and ventilators. The facades not facing the street
have little decoration, apart from the two-storeyed verandah to the
north-eastern end of the building. The upper level of the verandah,
now enclosed with louvres and fibro, has segmental arched openings
and cast iron balustrade, and the lower level has moulded
semi-circular archways infilled with timber and masonry. Through the
Flinders Street entry doors is a decorative timber vestibule, with
timber and glass panelled walls and doors, which leads to the former
banking chamber. The former chamber features highly decorative
pressed metal ceilings, moulded architraves and dados, and two
central decorative cast iron columns. It also has a concrete safe
which retains its safe door and some timber shelving, and a curious
window opening to the stair landing reputedly for managers to
supervise their staff from above. From Wickham Street is a second
entrance lobby, and vestibule with tessellated tiles. The timber
stair features substantial newels, twisted balusters, and boarding
to the underside. From the mid landing is the window opening to the
former chamber, and a doorway to a small room and stair to the
exterior. The remainder of the Ground Floor includes several former
offices between the chamber and the stair, and a series of small
service rooms to the rear. Projecting from the north-western corner
of the building is a single-storey wing, with three small former
services rooms opening onto a common verandah. This wing has details
consistent with the two-storey part of the building. The First Floor
has a central corridor with rooms opening to either side. The
corridor is divided by a pedimented and panelled partition with a
pair of glazed French doors, and by an adjacent fibro partition. The
First Floor interior features moulded timber skirtings and
architraves, some panelled doors with toplights, some double hung
windows, and decorative metal ceilings and cornices. At the top of
the main stair is a hall, divided by a square arch with panelled
architraves, and by a fibro partition with a small hatch. To the
north-eastern end of this level is a verandah enclosed with louvres
and fibro sheet, but with the cast iron balustrade still visible
from the exterior. At the north-western corner of the site is a
rectangular concrete building, mostly covered with vines and other
vegetation. It is a single room, with access from a covered entrance
porch. To the western end of the site is the garage, reputedly the
former stables, which is constructed of brick with a corrugated iron
skillion roof, double-hung windows and boarded doors. Access to the
western yard is through a rendered masonry fence on the Flinders
Street alignment. Along the north-eastern boundary is a face brick
fence, with a curved coping, engaged piers and recessed
panels. | |
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