Centenary Pool Complex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Centenary Pool Complex |
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| Location | 400 Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1940s–1960s (post-World War II) |
| Built | 1959 |
| Built for | Brisbane City Council |
| Architect | James Birrell |
| Architectural style(s) | Post-War International |
| Owner | Brisbane City Council |
| Official name: Centenary Pool Complex | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 5 November 1996 |
| Reference no. | 601240 |
| Significant period | 1959 (fabric) 1959–1980 (historical, social) |
| Significant components | trees/plantings, swimming pool, tower – diving, restaurant, bathroom/bathhouse, grandstand, kiosk |
| Builders | Cyril Porter Hornick |
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The Centenary Pool Complex is a special swimming pool in Spring Hill, Brisbane. It's a heritage-listed site, meaning it's an important part of history. Famous architect James Birrell designed it, and it opened in 1959.
Contents
A Look Back: How the Pool Started
The Centenary Pool was built in 1959 by the Brisbane City Council. It was a big gift to celebrate two important events. First, it marked 100 years since Brisbane became a city in October 1859. Second, it celebrated 100 years since Queensland officially separated from New South Wales in December 1859.
Designing an Olympic Pool
Brisbane City Architect James Birrell and his team started designing the pool in 1957. They finished it in November 1959. The project cost about £150,000, which was a lot of money back then! Cyril Porter Hornick was the builder.
This pool was Brisbane's very first Olympic-standard swimming and diving complex. It was the main place for water sports in Brisbane until 1980. What made it extra special was a fancy restaurant. This made the complex more than just a sports facility.
Inspired by Olympic Success
The City Council chose to build an Olympic-standard pool because everyone was excited about swimming. Australia had done amazingly well at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. They won 13 gold medals, with 8 of them in swimming!
After these games, competitive swimming became super popular across Australia. In the next ten years, Brisbane City Council built seven new public pools. The Centenary Pool was the only one with diving facilities. The Council also wanted a wading pool so young children could learn to swim.
James Birrell's Unique Style
James Birrell was Brisbane's City Architect from 1955 to 1961. He designed many important buildings for the city. The Centenary Pool Complex is one of his most famous works.
Birrell loved trying new and exciting architectural ideas. The Centenary Pool looks different from his other buildings. It's not like the usual modern international style of the 1950s. Instead, it's more like the work of Oscar Niemeyer, a famous architect from Brazil. Birrell wanted the Centenary Pool to be a work of art, not just a simple building.
He also experimented with materials. For example, he used the skills of Brisbane shipbuilders to shape the steel beams for the restaurant. He also had local steel companies bend the steel for the diving tower.
The complex was built to fit the natural slope of the hill. This meant they didn't need to dig too much. Birrell worked closely with the Chief Health Officer to make sure the pool's technical parts, like the water filters, were perfect.
Cool Features and Recognition
The pool had special underwater floodlights and observation windows. This allowed coaches to watch their students swim from below the water! At the opening on November 25, 1959, the Governor of Queensland, Sir Henry Abel Smith, watched an underwater diving show through these windows.
The design also included a beautiful entrance road and carpark. Harry Oakman, a famous landscape designer, helped create the tropical gardens around the pool.
In 1960, the Centenary Pool complex was named one of the top ten buildings in Australia. It was also the only Queensland building featured in a 1961 book called New Buildings in the Commonwealth.
By 2009, the restaurant area had changed. It became a gym and medical offices.
What the Centenary Pool Looks Like
The Centenary Pool complex has several parts: a large swimming pool, a diving pool with different diving boards, and a small wading pool. There's also a grandstand for spectators, a bathhouse for changing, and a two-story building with a restaurant and kiosk.
These buildings sit on a raised platform, or "podium," built into the hill. They are made of concrete, steel, brick, and glass. The design is very modern, with interesting shapes and details. The architect described it as "free form shapes" with pools cut into them.
The Layout of the Pools
The pools and buildings are arranged around a central walkway. To the east is the main swimming pool, which is about 50 meters (165 feet) long. Along its eastern side is a concrete grandstand that can seat 1200 people.
The diving pool is in the northwest corner. It has a tall, four-level diving tower and single-level boards. A round wading pool for kids is in the southwest corner.
The bathhouse is a long, curved building. You enter it by walking down a ramp to a central ticket office. The restaurant is a raised building with curved walls. It even hangs over part of the swimming pool! You reach the restaurant by walking up a concrete ramp.
Building Details and Materials
The buildings show off creative and technical design. The restaurant's curved walls have glass panels set in round steel columns. Inside, the kitchen is in the center, surrounded by a curved wooden wall.
The bathhouse has steel frames and curved walls. It has separate changing areas for boys and girls, with ceramic tiled floors and concrete benches. The brickwork on the outside is left rough to show the natural look of the bricks.
The pools and the podium area also have cool details. The main pool has rounded tiled edges and special patterns on the floor. The wading pool has fun, abstract tile patterns. The diving boards are supported by slanted concrete columns. The podium is paved with hexagonal concrete tiles. Both the diving pool and main pool have underwater windows, which you can see from a "clubroom" below the podium.
The complex also has "modern tropical" landscaping. Brightly colored plants like Acalyphas and Hibiscus grow around the edges. Many of these plants are original to the pool's design.
Why the Centenary Pool is Special
The Centenary Pool Complex is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register for several reasons:
- Important History: It was Brisbane City Council's main way to celebrate the 1959 centenaries. It also shows how popular competitive swimming became after the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
- Unique Design: It's a great example of a special kind of Post-War International style architecture. It's considered as important as the Olympic pools in Melbourne and Canberra.
- Beautiful and Creative: The pool's design is very clever and artistic. The way it's built and decorated is inventive, and the original gardens make it even more beautiful.
- Technical Achievement: The design shows a high level of creativity and technical skill for its time.
- Community Connection: It was Brisbane's main water sports center from 1959 to 1980. This means it played a big role in developing competitive swimming in the city.
- Architectural Masterpiece: It's one of the most important civic buildings designed by the famous Queensland architect James Birrell.
Plans for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics
The Centenary Pool Complex is planned to receive a major upgrade for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
The proposed upgrades include three new pools, two of which are planned to be indoors (50m and 65m long). These pools are intended for various aquatic sports. Other planned additions include an indoor dive tower, a new outdoor pool, and a 27m outdoor tower for diving and high diving. The venue is also planned to have seating for 8,800 people, which could expand to 25,000 during the games.
These upgrade plans were announced on March 25, 2025, as part of the 2032 Delivery Plan by the Crisafulli government. The plan also includes other venues, such as a 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park and upgraded RNA Showgrounds for 20,000 spectators.
