Manor Apartment Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manor Apartment Hotel |
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Manor Apartment Hotel, 2020
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| Location | 289 Queen Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1930 - 1931 |
| Architect | Hennessey, Hennessey & Co |
| Official name: Newspaper House, Colonial Mutual Life Building, The Manor Apartments | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600150 |
| Significant period | 1930-1931 (fabric) 1931-1983 (historical) |
| Significant components | decorative features, furniture/fittings |
| Builders | Concrete Constructions (QLD) Limited |
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The Manor Apartment Hotel is a special building in Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia. It used to be an office building but is now an apartment hotel. This means it has apartments you can rent for short stays, like a hotel.
It was designed by a company called Hennessey, Hennessey & Co and built between 1930 and 1931. The building is also known by its old names: Colonial Mutual Life Building and Newspaper House. It's so important that it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.
Contents
History of the Building
The building was built for a company called Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society (CML). They were a life insurance company.
The First Building on This Spot
CML started its Queensland branch in 1874. In 1883, they built their first offices in Brisbane. Later, in 1906, CML bought the land at 289 Queen Street. This spot was right next to the General Post Office in the middle of Brisbane.
They built new offices there. But by 1930, CML needed even more space. So, they decided to knock down the first building. This made way for the bigger, new building we see today. Many other buildings on Queen Street were also rebuilt around this time.
Building the Current Hotel
The land for the building was quite narrow. To make the most of the space, CML made a deal with the government. This allowed them to use a "right-of-way" (a shared path) that went all the way along the side of the building.
In October 1930, there was a fire that damaged the old buildings. However, the fire wasn't why the new building was planned. The plans for the new building had already been announced a month before the fire. The old offices were torn down by November 1930, and the new building was being built by February 1931.
How it was Built
The outside of the building is made from a special material called Benedict stone. This stone is a mix of cement and crushed Brisbane tuff (a type of rock). It was made by a company in Queensland.
Building the hotel created many jobs for people in Queensland. This was very important because it was during a time called the Great Depression, when many people didn't have work. The stone was put in place very quickly, setting a record for stonework in Australia.
Official Opening
On November 12, 1931, the CML building officially opened. The Governor of Queensland, Sir John Goodwin, was there for the opening.
The ground floor of the building was used by CML. There were also shops along an arcade that led to Queen Street. The floors above had offices and rooms that people could rent.
Later Owners
In 1983, a company called Queensland Newspapers bought the building. They publish The Courier-Mail newspaper. They cleaned and fixed up the outside of the building. On September 11, 1985, they reopened it as Newspaper House.
What it's Used for Today
In 1994, the building was changed into an apartment hotel called The Manor Apartments. It has 46 apartments, from studios to two-bedroom units. Each apartment has its own kitchen and laundry.
Even though it's been updated, you can still see the building's original style from the 1930s. It has high ceilings and special stonework.
The building was even used in a movie! It pretended to be a New York City skyscraper in the 1996 film The Phantom.
What the Building Looks Like
This building is ten floors tall. It has a narrow front facing Queen Street and a long side. It was designed to fit in with the buildings next to it, like the General Post Office.
The building has a strong frame made of steel and concrete. The outside is covered in Benedict Stone, which can look green or pink. The decorations on the outside are inspired by Art Deco style, which was popular in the 1920s and 30s. It also has some older Norman influences.
The front of the building has three sets of paired windows. At the bottom, there are three tall arched openings. Higher up, you can see sculptures of lions and eagles. Some of these eagles look like gargoyles, which are decorative water spouts often shaped like creatures.
The back of the building, facing a laneway, looks similar to the front but is painted. Inside, some of the original details are still there, like the fire stairs with their old handrails and tiled floors.
Why it's a Heritage Site
The Manor Apartment Hotel is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's considered very important to Queensland's history and culture. Here's why:
- It shows how Brisbane changed: The building helps us understand how Queen Street was redeveloped between 1925 and 1934.
- It's a great example of its type: It's a good example of a commercial building from the time between the two World Wars.
- It's beautiful: People value its beautiful decorations, like the gargoyles, lions, and other carvings. Its two detailed fronts fit in well with other important buildings on Queen Street.
- It shows clever building techniques: The building shows how clever builders were in the early 1930s. They used locally made Benedict stone, which was a new and exciting material back then.
- It's linked to important people: The building has a special connection to the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society and the architects Hennessey, Hennessey and Co.
