Baroona Special School facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Baroona Special School
Baroona Special School, 2009
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
Queensland Heritage Register
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 located at 1 Hale Street in Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built over many years, starting in 1868 and finishing in 1921. This school has had a few different names, including Baroona Opportunity School and Petrie Terrace School. Because of its important history, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992.

History of the School Buildings

The Baroona Special School is made up of several buildings. Two of these are brick buildings. One opened in March 1868 as the Petrie Terrace School. The second building was built in 1874 for the new Petrie Terrace Girls and Infants School.

Petrie Terrace became a busy area in Brisbane during the 1860s. A prison was built nearby in 1860, and military buildings in 1864. The land where the school stands was set aside for education in the early 1860s.

The Education Act of 1860 created a system for government-supported primary schools in Queensland. Communities had to pay one-third of the cost to build new schools. Students also had to pay fees. By 1868, 73 schools were open, and by 1874, there were 203 schools.

Early Days as a Primary School

By the mid-1860s, Petrie Terrace needed a school because the area was growing fast. People started raising money to build one. A long, rectangular classroom building was built in 1867. It cost about £400. This classroom was designed for 150 students, with separate areas for boys and girls. By the end of 1868, over 300 students were signed up, but about 157 attended regularly.

The building was designed by Richard George Suter, a well-known architect. He designed many schools for the Queensland Board of Education. From 1868 to 1875, Suter designed almost all the Board's school projects. This included about 30 schools across Queensland, in places like Toowoomba, Warwick, and Rockhampton.

In November 1873, an inspection showed the school was very crowded. The area's population kept growing, so more classrooms were needed. Also, free education was introduced in Queensland in 1870, which likely made the school even more popular. The inspectors noted it was a "very fine school."

Suter drew plans for a new building by January 1874. This new building cost £1022. It had separate rooms for girls and younger children (infants). It officially opened in January 1875 but was used from late 1874. It was known as the Petrie Terrace Girls and Infants School.

Suter designed the new building to look similar to the first one. He often used the building materials themselves to add decoration. Both the 1867 and 1875 buildings show Suter's use of the Gothic Revival Style. He tried to make the brick buildings look interesting with special window designs and decorative brickwork.

John Bowden Fewings was the headmaster of Petrie Terrace School from 1868 to 1898. He was a respected scholar. The school became famous for its many students who won scholarships. Many of these students later became important people in Brisbane.

By 1884, it was suggested that a new school be built just for the boys. They were still using the 1867 building. A new site was chosen on Moreton Street. The new Boys' School opened there by May 1889. The Petrie Terrace Girls and Infants School stayed at the original site. The 1867 building was then used for the Infants' Department.

Improvements were made to the school grounds starting in the early 1880s. Trees were planted in the playground, including Moreton Bay Figs and jacarandas. Play sheds were also built, but they are no longer there.

The school buildings were changed in 1914. Verandahs were added to the 1867 and 1874 buildings. New windows and sunshades were also added to improve light and air inside the classrooms. The inside of both buildings was updated. Old galleries were removed, and teaching areas were reorganized with glass partitions. A new room for teachers was added to the 1874 building. A retaining wall was also built, and a drill ground was created.

In 1921, more classrooms were added to both the 1867 and 1874 buildings. In 1929, the school got a sewage system, and new toilets were built.

In July 1953, the Petrie Terrace Boys and Girls Schools joined together. The Girls School moved to the Moreton Street buildings. A separate Infants School was created at the Hale Street site. This Infants School later joined the Petrie Terrace School on Moreton Street in July 1960.

Becoming an Opportunity School

After the Infants School moved, the Hale Street school became the Petrie Terrace Opportunity School. This school was for children with disabilities. To make this change, a new classroom was added to the 1874 building. Classrooms in both buildings were also updated. A manual training room was built in the basement of the 1874 building. Another classroom became a Home Science Room.

Special education for children with disabilities began in Queensland in the late 1880s. In 1923, special classes started for children who were struggling in school. These were first called "backward" classes. They were very successful. By the end of 1923, over 330 students were in these classes. From mid-1926, these centers were called "Opportunity Schools."

More additions and changes 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. More updates happened in the early 1970s. In 1975, a new amenities block, a covered play area, and a new administration building were constructed. A hall was also built on the site by 1975.

The school was renamed the Baroona Special School in 1974. It continued to provide special education until it closed on June 16, 1995.

Current Use of the Site

Since 2004, the school site has been home to the Albert Park Flexible Learning Centre. This center helps students aged 14 to 25 complete their final two years of high school (Years 11 and 12). It is for students who need a more flexible way to learn. The center first started in 1990 to help homeless children. It later moved to the Lady Bowen Building before coming to its current location. Today, it supports a wider range of students, including young parents.

School Building Features

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 is shaped like a "T". It has steep roofs that were originally designed for shingles. It also has dormer windows on the roof. The walls are made of bricks laid in a special pattern called English bond. The southwest side of the building still looks much like it did originally. It has decorative brickwork and pointed windows.

The building sits on foundations made of Brisbane tuff, a type of rock. Brick supports are at the corners.

The main ends of the roof were changed in 1914. Timber porches were replaced with large windows. Some original windows were bricked up.

A timber verandah was added to the east side of the building in 1914. This was also when the original galleries inside were removed. There is a later enclosed verandah on the northwest side.

Inside the 1867 building, a movable divider can split the space into two classrooms. The ceiling is angled and made of plaster.

The 1874 Building

This building is north of the 1867 classroom. It is an L-shaped, single-story building with a basement. It has a steep roof with dormer windows.

This building is also made of bricks in the English bond pattern. It has decorative brickwork below the roof and square-headed windows.

Brick supports are on the north and east corners where the ground slopes down.

The timber verandahs on the south and west sides, and a brick porch, are still there from 1874. However, the north verandah was added in 1914. At the same time, large windows were put into the brick gables. Inside, some brick walls were removed to create larger openings. Glass partitions were also 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 storage building (before 1929) and a timber infants' room (before 1959). In 1959, a new passage and classroom were built, along with a manual training room and laundry underneath.

French doors lead to 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 retaining wall along the northern boundary was built in 1929. This was also when the sewage system was installed and a new toilet block was built. The 1929 toilet block was removed in 1975. It was replaced by the current covered play area and administration area. Toilets and a tuckshop are now in a 1975 building in the northeast corner, next to a hall built around the 1950s.

The school grounds have several large, old trees around the edges. These trees were likely planted before 1929. They help frame the attractive gardens and buildings at the school.

Why Baroona Special School is Important

Baroona Special School was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992, because it meets several important criteria.

It shows how Queensland's history has changed. The school site has been used for primary education since the late 1860s. This shows how education developed in Queensland. The school also played a key role in the history of Special Education in Queensland. It was one of the first schools to offer special classes for children with disabilities in the 1920s. Later, it became an Opportunity School in the 1960s. The building of the first school in 1867 and the second in 1874 also shows how Petrie Terrace grew as a place for people to live during that time.

It shows the main features of important cultural places. The buildings from 1867 and 1874 are early examples of brick school buildings. They were designed by the famous architect RG Suter. He designed many school buildings in Queensland during a time when schools were expanding rapidly. The changes made to these buildings over time show how ideas about primary and special education have changed.

It has important aesthetic value. The school grounds have several old, large trees. They also show signs of how the grounds were used in the past, like the drill area. The 1867 and 1874 buildings are in a noticeable spot at the corner of Hale Street and Milton Road. These buildings, along with the old trees, make the Petrie Terrace area look special and attractive.