Old Museum Building, Brisbane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Museum Building |
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The Old Museum Building.
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| Former names | Exhibition Building and Concert Hall |
| General information | |
| Address | Cnr Gregory Terrace and Bowen Bridge Road, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Completed | 1891 |
| Owner | Queensland Government |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | George Henry Male Addison |
The Old Museum Building is a special old building in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It used to be a place for big exhibitions and a museum. Now, it's a popular spot for performances and music. This amazing building is made from 1.3 million red bricks! It stands between Gregory Terrace and the Exhibition Grounds.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
The Old Museum was first known as the Exhibition Building and Concert Hall. It was built in 1891. This happened after Brisbane's first exhibition building burned down. That fire happened on June 13, 1888. At the time of the fire, the old building was being used as a skating rink.
The land where the building stands was used before. From 1863 to 1875, the Queensland Acclimatisation Society used it. This group helped bring new plants and animals to Queensland.
Building Design and Construction
The new exhibition building was designed by an architect named George Henry Male Addison. He lived from 1857 to 1922. The building's style is quite unique. You could call it a mix of different styles, or "Indo-Saracenic." Over 300 workers built this huge building. It took them about 12 months to finish it. Today, it is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's a very important historical site.
Changes in Ownership and Use
The Queensland Government took control of the building in 1897. This happened because of money problems in the country. The original owners, the Queensland National Agricultural and Industrial Association, had to close down.
In 1899, the Exhibition Hall became the home of the Queensland Museum. The museum stayed in this building for a very long time. It was there for 86 years! In 1986, the museum moved to the Queensland Cultural Centre. Because the Queensland Museum was there for so long, people started calling the building the Old Museum. While the museum was there, other parts of the building were also used. It was a Concert Hall and an Art Gallery at different times.
More recently, in 2016, the building was used again for the Ekka. The Ekka is a big annual show in Brisbane. Now, the Old Museum hosts the flower and garden displays for this event.
A Hub for Performances
The Old Museum building is a busy place today. It is home to many talented groups. The Queensland Youth Orchestras use it a lot. They practice, perform, and have their offices there.
Many other groups also call the Old Museum home:
- The Brisbane Symphony Orchestra
- The Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra
- The Queensland Youth Choir
- Queensland Wind and Brass
- Brisbane River City Clippers Barbershop Chorus
- Queensland Rhythmic Gymnastics Organisation
- Queensland Police Pipes and Drums
- The Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre Company
The building has also been used for other exciting events. In 1989, a play by William Shakespeare was performed there. It was called Troilus and Cressida. Famous actors like Geoffrey Rush and Russell Dykstra were in the cast. The Old Museum building was even a filming location! It was used for the 1980s Australian TV series of Mission: Impossible.
Photographs of the Old Museum
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The exterior of the Old Museum Building in Brisbane.
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A side entrance to the Old Museum building.
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The Old Museum
as the home of the Queensland Youth Orchestras. -
The roof of the Old Museum.
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Side view of the Old Museum building.
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Detail of tower on Western side of Old Museum building.
Heritage and Recognition
The Old Museum building is very important to Queensland's history. It was officially listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This listing helps protect the building for future generations.
In 2009, Queensland celebrated its 150th birthday, called Q150. As part of these celebrations, the Old Museum Building was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland. It was recognized for being an amazing "structure and engineering feat." This shows how special and well-built the Old Museum is.
