Baroona Special School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Baroona Special School |
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Baroona Special School, 2009
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| Location | 1 Hale Street, Petrie Terrace, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s–1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1868–1921 |
| Architect | Richard George Suter |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
| Official name: Baroona Special School, Baroona Opportunity School, Petrie Terrace Opportunity School, Petrie Terrace School | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600278 |
| Significant period | 1860s–1870s (fabric) 1914, 1921 (fabric) 1860s–ongoing (social) 1860s–1920s (historical) |
| Significant components | classroom/classroom block/teaching area, school/school room |
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Baroona Special School is a historic school building in Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built a long time ago, starting in 1868, and has been used for different types of education over the years. Today, it helps older students (14-25 years old) who need a more flexible way to learn. The school is important because of its history and unique design. It is also known as Baroona Opportunity School and Petrie Terrace School.
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History of Baroona School
The Baroona Special School has several buildings. The first one opened in March 1868 as the Petrie Terrace School. A second building was added in 1874 for girls and infants.
Petrie Terrace became a busy suburb of Brisbane in the 1860s. More families meant more kids, and more kids meant a need for schools! The land where the school stands was set aside for education in the early 1860s.
In 1860, a new law called the Education Act helped set up government-supported primary schools. Communities had to help pay for new school buildings. By 1868, 73 schools were open in Queensland. By 1874, there were 203 schools.
Petrie Terrace State Primary School
By the mid-1860s, the Petrie Terrace area needed a school. People worked to raise money for it. A long classroom building was built in 1867. It was designed for 150 students, with separate areas for boys and girls. By the end of 1868, over 300 students were signed up.
The school building was designed by a famous architect named Richard George Suter. He designed many schools for the Queensland Board of Education. From 1868 to 1875, Suter designed almost all of the Board's school buildings. This included about 30 schools across Queensland.
By 1873, the school was very crowded. More space was needed because the area was growing. Also, in 1870, education became free in Queensland. This likely made even more students come to the school.
New plans for a second building were ready by January 1874. This new building had separate rooms for girls and "infants" (very young children). It opened in late 1874 and was called the Petrie Terrace Girls and Infants School.
Suter designed the new building to look similar to the first one. He used the building materials themselves to make the school look nice. Both the 1867 and 1874 buildings show Suter's use of the Gothic Revival Style. This style often uses pointed windows and decorative brickwork.
John Bowden Fewings was the headmaster of Petrie Terrace School from 1868 to 1898. He was a very respected scholar. Many students from Petrie Terrace School won scholarships and became important people in Brisbane.
By 1884, a new school was needed for the boys. They were still using the 1867 building. A new site was found, and the boys' school moved there by May 1889. The Petrie Terrace Girls and Infants School stayed at the original site. The 1867 building then became the Infants' Department.
The school grounds were improved from the 1880s. Trees were planted, including Moreton Bay Figs and jacarandas. Play sheds were also built, but they are no longer there.
In 1914, changes were made to the buildings. Verandahs (covered porches) were added to both the 1867 and 1874 buildings. New windows and sunshades were added to make the classrooms brighter and better ventilated. Inside, old galleries were removed, and glass partitions were added to divide teaching areas. A new room for teachers was also built.
In 1921, more classrooms were added to both the 1867 and 1874 buildings. In 1929, the school got a new sewage system and a new toilet block.
In 1953, the boys' and girls' schools joined together. The Girls School moved to the Moreton Street buildings. A separate Infants School was formed at the Hale Street site. In 1960, the Infants School also moved to Moreton Street.
Opportunity School for Special Education
After the Infants School moved, the Hale Street school became the Petrie Terrace Opportunity School. This school was for children with disabilities. To make it an Opportunity School, new classrooms were added, and existing ones were changed. A Manual Training room was built in the basement. A former classroom became a Home Science Room.
Special education for children with disabilities started in Queensland in the late 1880s. In 1923, special classes began for children who needed extra help with learning. These classes were very successful. By 1926, these centres were called "Opportunity Schools."
More changes and additions were made to the school in 1961. In 1962, the school was renamed the Baroona Opportunity School. A new toilet block was built in 1964. In the early 1970s, more remodelling happened. By 1975, a new amenities block, a covered play area, and an administration building were constructed. A hall was also built on the site.
The school was renamed the Baroona Special School in 1974. It continued to provide special education until it closed on June 16, 1995.
Present Use of the School
In 2004, the school became the Albert Park Flexible Learning Centre. This centre helps students aged 14 to 25 finish their high school education (Years 11 and 12). It is for students who need a more flexible way to learn. The centre first opened in 1990 to help homeless children. Now, it supports many different students, including young parents.
School Buildings and Grounds
The Baroona Special School is a group of buildings located at the corner of Hale Street and Milton Road. The oldest buildings, from 1867 and 1874, are still important parts of the site.
The 1867 Building
This brick building has one floor and a T-shape. It has steep roofs and small windows sticking out of the roof. The walls are made of bricks laid in a strong pattern. The front of the building still looks much like it did originally. It has decorative brickwork and pointed windows.
The building sits on strong stone foundations. There are brick supports at the corners.
In 1914, the timber porches at each end of the building were replaced with large windows. Some of the original windows were bricked up.
A timber verandah was added to the east side of the building in 1914. This was when the original inside galleries were removed. There is also a later enclosed verandah on the northwest side.
Inside the 1867 building, a folding room divider splits the space into two classrooms. The ceiling is angled.
The 1874 Building
This building is north of the 1867 classroom. It has one floor and a basement. It has an L-shape with a steep roof and small windows in the roof.
This building is also made of bricks laid in a strong pattern. It has decorative brickwork below the roof and square-shaped windows.
Brick supports are on the north and east corners where the ground slopes down.
The timber verandahs on the south and west sides of the 1874 building are original. But the north verandah was added in 1914. At the same time, large windows were put into the brick gables (the triangular parts of the wall under the roof). Inside, brick walls were removed to create larger openings. Glass partitions were added between classrooms in 1914.
The roof structure is lined with timber boards.
The 1874 building has been extended to the north over the years. These additions include a brick store, a timber infants' room, and a new classroom with a manual training room underneath.
French doors open onto the old verandahs. These verandahs are made of timber with wooden floors and square posts.
School Grounds
The "drill ground" from 1914 is still a grassy area east of the 1867 building. A concrete wall along the northern side of the site was built in 1929. That same year, a new toilet block was built, but it was replaced in 1975.
Today, a covered play area and administration building are on the site. A steel-framed building from 1975 holds toilets and a tuckshop. A hall from the 1950s is also on the site.
The school grounds have several large, old trees. These trees were likely planted before 1929. They help make the school's gardens and surroundings look attractive.
Why Baroona School is Heritage Listed
Baroona Special School was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means it is an important historical place.
- It shows how Queensland's history has changed.
The school has been a primary school since the 1860s. This shows how education grew in Queensland. It is also important for the history of special education in Queensland. It was one of the first schools to have special classes for children with disabilities in the 1920s. The building of the first schools in 1867 and 1874 also shows how Petrie Terrace grew as a place for people to live.
- It shows important features of old school buildings.
The buildings from 1867 and 1874 are early examples of brick school buildings. They were designed by the important architect R.G. Suter. He designed many schools in Queensland when school facilities were expanding. The changes made to the buildings over time also show how ideas about primary and special education have changed.
- It is beautiful and adds to the area.
The school grounds have several old trees and show how the land was used before, like for a drill area. The 1867 and 1874 buildings are in a noticeable spot on the corner of Hale Street and Milton Road. The old trees around the school also make the Petrie Terrace area look special.
