Brisbane Dental Hospital and College facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brisbane Dental Hospital and College |
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Brisbane Dental Hospital and College, 2013
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| Location | 168 Turbot Street, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919–1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1938–1941 |
| Architect | Raymond C Nowland |
| Architectural style(s) | neo-Georgian |
| Official name: Brisbane Dental Hospital and College | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 23 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 601909 |
| Significant period | 1938–1949 (fabric) 1930s–1940s (historical) 1940s–ongoing (social) |
| Significant components | steps/stairway, wall/s, terracing, courtyard, surgery – dental, theatre – lecture, trees/plantings |
| Builders | Queensland Department of Public Works |
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The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College is a historic building in Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia. It used to be a dental hospital and a college for dental students. Located at 168 Turbot Street, it was designed by Raymond C Nowland and built between 1938 and 1941. This important building is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
A Look Back: The Hospital's Story
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The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College opened in 1941. It's a large, two-storey building made of stone and concrete. It stands tall at the corner of Turbot Street and Albert Street, surrounded by terraced gardens.
Why Was This Building So Important?
This building was meant to be part of a bigger plan for Brisbane. This plan was called "The Turbot Street Development Scheme." It was designed by Raymond Clare Nowland, a top architect in the Queensland Department of Public Works. The scheme aimed to create a new Public Art Gallery, a Public Library, and the Dental Hospital and College. It also planned to make Wickham Park more beautiful. However, only the Dental Hospital and College was actually built.
The location was chosen carefully. People thought it was a great spot because it was easy to reach by public transport. Being on a hill in a park meant the buildings would be quiet and have lots of natural light. It was also thought that no other buildings would block its views.
How the Government Helped
In 1935, the University of Queensland started a Faculty of Dentistry. The Queensland State Government agreed to pay for and build a new dental hospital and college. The first public dental clinic in Queensland had opened in Brisbane in 1908. By 1926, it was known as the Brisbane Dental Hospital. The new hospital was planned to be the main place for dental services in Brisbane. It was part of a bigger government plan to offer public dental care across Queensland.
In 1932, the Forgan Smith Labor Government came into power. They promised to spend more money to help Queensland recover from the Great Depression. This was a time when many people lost their jobs and money. The government started a huge building program. They wanted to create jobs for local workers and use local building materials. They built many important places like government offices, schools, hospitals, and police stations.
The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College was a very important project in this building program. Construction started in September 1938. When it opened on July 6, 1941, the Minister for Health, Edward Hanlon, said it was "better equipped and finished than any other dental hospital in Australia."
Learning and Training at the College
The building was also important for the University of Queensland. It helped train new doctors and dentists. The University followed a new way of teaching health students. This method focused on more lab training in basic medical science. It also used hospitals for hands-on training. The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College had special labs and was a training hospital, showing this new approach.
The Architect: Raymond Clare Nowland
Raymond Clare Nowland was the architect who designed the Hospital and College. He joined the Department of Public Works in 1932 and became a senior architect. He designed many important buildings between 1932 and 1942. These included the University of Queensland Medical School and the Cairns Court House. Nowland liked to design buildings in a simple, classic style. This style was popular at the time and helped him create many notable buildings in Queensland.
Building Details and Changes
The building was originally planned to be made of sandstone. But due to problems with getting materials and budget limits, it was built with brick and cement instead. Special work was done on the foundations to avoid vibrations from the railway tunnel underneath.
The ground floor was for the Dental Hospital, and the first floor and roof were for the Dental College. The ground floor had offices, surgeries, and a waiting room. The first floor had more waiting rooms, surgeries, staff offices, two lecture theatres, and a museum. The flat roof held the library and air-conditioning equipment. The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College was the first public building in Queensland to have a full air-conditioning system. The surgeries had rubber floors, and the waiting rooms had beautiful Queensland maple wood panels.
Over the years, some changes were made. In 1949, more labs and common rooms were added on the roof. In the 1960s, another building was added nearby and connected by a walkway. From 1997 to 1999, many parts of the hospital and college were updated. Even with these changes, the original layout and some old features like the entrance doors, timber windows, and terrazzo stairs still remain.
Recent History
In 2014, the government announced that the building would be sold. The dental services would move to newer facilities. In January 2015, the University of Queensland moved its dental college to its Herston campus. The building was then put up for sale.
However, in March 2015, after a new government was elected, it was announced that the building would not be sold.
Today, the building is sometimes used for filming. For example, the offices and labs in the 2018 ABC TV show Harrow were set in this building.
What the Building Looks Like
You reach the Brisbane Dental Hospital and College by climbing a grand set of wide concrete stairs from Turbot Street. It's a very impressive, two-storey building with a classic "neo-Georgian" style. It has a strong steel frame and concrete floors. The outside is covered in a smooth, rendered finish.
The main entrance on Turbot Street is very grand. It has a projecting porch with tall, fluted columns. Ornamental lamps stand on either side of the main stairway. The building's design shows how the different rooms are used inside. For example, small windows show where the service mezzanine floor is.
Other sides of the building also have similar window patterns. The side facing Albert Street is long and has slightly projecting ends. There are also stairs and entrances on the other sides.
Inside the Building
The building is shaped like a square around a central courtyard. When you enter, you see beautiful wooden panels around the doors. The main entrance leads to a large waiting room that looks out onto the courtyard. Along the corridors, there are many surgery rooms, teaching spaces, and offices.
There are stairwells in each corner of the building. These stairwells have shiny terrazzo stairs and metal railings. Sunlight comes in from roof lanterns at the top. Even though some parts have been updated, the way the rooms are laid out still makes sense.
The former waiting room on the ground floor is now the reception area. It gets light from large windows facing the courtyard. The building used to have special features like decorative plaster ceilings and beautiful Queensland maple wood. Some of these original features, like the fine wooden doors and panels, can still be found on the first floor. The library on the roof is now a seminar room and still has its original timber shelving.
Outside, there are steep, grassy banks leading up to two terraced levels. A concrete path and a row of pine trees run around the building on the Albert and Turbot Streets sides.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1999. This means it's a very important building for Queensland's history and culture.
Showing Queensland's History
This building shows how public dental services and dental training developed in Queensland. It was a key part of the public health plan started by the Forgan Smith Government in the 1930s. It also shows how the University of Queensland grew and trained dentists. The way it was designed, with special labs and close to a hospital, shows how new teaching methods were adopted.
A Unique Place
The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College is special because it was the only dental hospital and college in Queensland.
A Great Example of Its Kind
It's a great example of a building designed for medical facilities. Even after modern updates, its original layout and usefulness remain. It's also an important example of the many grand government buildings designed in Queensland during the 1930s.
Beautiful and Important Design
The building has a simple, classic style that makes it look strong and important. It was meant to be part of a big city plan for Turbot Street, and even though that plan wasn't fully built, this building stands out as a landmark. Its beautiful interiors, like the entrance porch, stairwells, and the waiting room on the first floor, are also very important. The grand concrete stairs and the central courtyard are also key parts of its design.
Smart Technology for Its Time
The building was very advanced for its time. It was the first public building in Brisbane to have a full air-conditioning system. A special mezzanine floor was added to hide the air-conditioning and other services. This smart design allowed the hospital to use new technology and keep up with changes in health care.
Connected to a Key Architect
The Brisbane Dental Hospital and College is important because of its connection to the architect Raymond Clare Nowland. It's one of his most famous designs. He was a very talented architect who worked on many public buildings in the 1930s.
