Brisbane City Hall

The now heritage-listed Brisbane City Hall has been a cultural landmark and a symbol of civic pride since it opened in 1928.

It has served as the city’s main space for social gatherings and community meetings in times of good and bad, which has led to its unofficial title as the ‘People’s Place’.

Architectural firm Hall and Prentice began designing this public building in 1917.

They are believed to have drawn inspiration from the classical style, which was common for public buildings built between the 1920s and 1930s.

At the time of its completion, it was the tallest building in Brisbane and the second largest building to be constructed in Australia.

Enormous Corinthian columns line the main entrance of the sandstone building, adding weight to the building and making it a dominant presence to the adjoining King George Square.

And even taller central clock tower rises up 92 m from ground level.

Internally, a great circular auditorium space is enclosed by a large copper dome.

The dome roof is the largest in Australia with a diameter of 31 m.

It is supported on a brick base, which allows the interior space to be column-free.

Offices and the venue spaces surround this auditorium and a grand marble staircase leads to the levels above.

The interior consists of local timbers and three types of marble: white, black, and brown.

The building, however, had significantly deteriorated and was in dire need of refurbishment.

So it closed its doors at the end of 2009, undergoing an $215 million restoration.

The restoration project, completed in 2013, has seen this iconic public facility reemerge as an outstanding, updated building that houses state-of-the-art technology, an auditorium, performing spaces, offices as well as a new Museum of Brisbane in a contemporary structure atop the roof.

The building is future-proofed for the next generations and the refurbishment has also vastly improved the building’s energy consumption.

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