Rockhampton School of Arts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rockhampton School of Arts |
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Rockhampton School of Arts, 2020
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| Location | 230 Bolsover Street, Rockhampton City, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Walter Cherry |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Rockhampton School of Arts (former), Rockhampton Municipal Library, Rockhampton Municipal Theatre | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600788 |
| Significant period | 1890s–1900s (fabric) 1890s–1920s (historical) 1890s–1940s (social) |
| Significant components | school of arts |
| Builders | Walter Adam Lawson |
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The Rockhampton School of Arts is a historic building in Rockhampton, Australia. It used to be a special kind of learning center called a "school of arts." It is located at 230 Bolsover Street. The building was designed by William (Walter) Cherry and built in 1894 by Walter Adam Lawson. It has also been known as the Rockhampton Regional Library and the Rockhampton Municipal Theatre. This important building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Contents
A Look Back: The School of Arts Story
The Rockhampton School of Arts building was finished in 1894. It is a key part of the look of Bolsover Street in Rockhampton. This building is a great example of late 1800s Victorian Classical architecture. It has played a big role in Rockhampton's culture, social life, and community events since 1894. There was an earlier school of arts building on this same spot from 1865. The building shows how much the City of Rockhampton grew. It also reflects the confidence and energy of the people living there in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Rockhampton was lucky to have such a good School of Arts. It started way back in July 1861. The people who wanted to create it faced many challenges for a long time. The town was small, and it was hard to get books and newspapers. It was also tough to raise money for a proper building. Many people were just passing through, and some were not interested in reading. However, on 23 July 1861, a meeting was held at the Rockhampton Court House. There, everyone agreed to set up a School of Arts.
What Were Schools of Arts?
Schools of Arts were similar to Mechanics' Institutes. These places started in Britain in the early 1800s. They were then brought to other parts of the British Empire, like Australia. The idea began with George Birbeck, who started a class for working men in Glasgow. He later created the first Mechanics' Institute in London. The main goal was to help working men get a better education. They also learned skills for different jobs. By the late 1800s, these institutes became popular places for adult education in general.
Mechanics' Institutes were part of a bigger movement in the 1800s to offer education to everyone in Britain. Other groups like co-operative societies and working men's colleges also started. This push for education came from a belief that people should be able to improve themselves. Mechanics' Institutes helped working men get ahead. They could learn by reading in special rooms or by taking classes. These classes were organized and paid for by the members themselves.
Finding a Home for Learning
A special area for the School of Arts was marked on the Rockhampton Town Plan in 1862. Before this, the 700 residents of Rockhampton wanted a School of Arts. They hoped it would help spread "literary, scientific and other useful knowledge." A reading room was already set up by Police Magistrate John Jardine in the Rockhampton Court House. A one-acre piece of land was set aside for the School of Arts. It was next to the Rockhampton Town Hall. This land was part of a larger area between Bolsover, William, Alma, and Derby Streets. The one-acre spot for the School of Arts was at the north-eastern end, facing Bolsover and William Streets.
After 1862, setting up the School of Arts faced big problems. Not much money came from the public. The community kept pushing for a dedicated building from 1862 to 1864. Public fundraising in Rockhampton raised £434 in 1864. The Queensland Government promised to give the same amount for the building. Companies were asked to bid on building the School of Arts. In 1865, Downland and Hartley offered to build it for £900. However, the building ended up costing £1100. Even with the extra cost, the first Rockhampton School of Arts opened on 24 February 1865.
Early Challenges and Growth
Even with big hopes for educating the community, people were not very keen on using the public reading room at first. The quality of education offered was not always high. Classes in old languages were sometimes available. But the quality of teaching depended on local interest and teachers willing to give after-hours lessons.
Over fifteen years, until 1890, the number of members at the School of Arts grew from 40 to 380. The library also grew from 250 to 7000 books in the same time. A museum and a library section were added to the building in 1872.
Part of the land facing William Street was rented out to businesses in 1883. Before this, a hotel opened on the corner of William and Bolsover Street. Before 1881, this hotel had different names, including the School of Arts Hotel. In 1881, it became known as the Queensland Hotel. The shops and hotel were separated from the School of Arts building by a small service lane.
Like many other buildings in Rockhampton, the clay soil under the first School of Arts caused problems. The building's foundations needed fixing in 1867. By 1881, the moving clay had damaged the brickwork. In 1882, John William Wilson, an architect in Rockhampton, suggested three plans to rebuild the School of Arts.
Wilson was a very busy architect. He designed over eighty buildings in Rockhampton from the early 1860s to the early 1900s. The School of Arts Committee did not make Wilson's plans public. To get more ideas, they held a public competition for new building plans. But money problems stopped any further action.
A New Building for a Growing Town
The School of Arts building was a place for important discussions and learning in Rockhampton. In 1890, the first meeting of the Central Queensland separation movement happened there. This group wanted to create a separate state with Rockhampton as its capital. They pushed for this idea for many years before Australia became a federation.
By 1893, the 1865 building was falling apart. A new building for the School of Arts was urgently needed. 1893 was also a time of money problems in Queensland. However, £5000 was borrowed from the Union Bank of Australasia. The committee asked for plans for a new building. They wanted it to be the center of intellectual life in Rockhampton. The old 1865 building was pulled down. A house for the secretary-librarian was built facing Alma Street.
The design chosen for the new School of Arts was by local architect William (Walter) Cherry. Cherry was born in Scotland in 1843. He worked for different architectural firms there. Cherry moved to Queensland in 1884. From 1885, he worked for FDG Stanley. John William Wilson oversaw the design, and Walter Adam Lawson won the contract to build it for £5,500.
The School of Arts was built with stone, which was rare for School of Arts buildings at that time. Only the Bundaberg School of Arts and Maryborough School of Arts had similar buildings. Rockhampton was planned to be the capital of the new state of Central Queensland. So, its new School of Arts had to show the big dreams of its people. At a cost of £5,578, the Rockhampton School of Arts building would be the most expensive in the colony.
The new building had two floors. It included a large hall that could seat 800 people. The front of the building was designed in a classical style. The hall had a stage, a music pit, and storage rooms. On the ground floor, there was a committee room, two large classrooms, and an office for the secretary. On the upper floor, five rooms were used for the reading room and book collection. Other rooms upstairs were for the museum and another classroom. The reading room was described as cool and pleasant, with all rooms opening onto a verandah.
The School of Arts building was officially opened by the Governor of Queensland, Henry Wylie Norman, on 6 March 1894. At the time, people said no other School of Arts in the colony was as good. Over 11,000 books were kept in the School of Arts collection on the two floors.
Changes Over Time
In 1903, a recreation room was added between the School of Arts building and the secretary-librarian's house. This room had two billiard tables, a chess and card room, and a verandah. Later, some people claimed the rooms were being used for gambling by members.
In 1904, a two-story School of Mines was added to the complex, facing Alma Street. It had a room for testing metals and a furnace. Classes were offered in subjects like metallurgy, geology, chemistry, and mineralogy. But not enough students were interested, so the school closed in 1906.
Technical classes, which were part of the School of Arts' purpose, were taken over by the Department of Public Instruction in 1908. The government passed a law, the Government Technical Schools Act 1908. This allowed for vocational and education-based studies. In 1909, these classes were put under a special Technical College Committee. This committee was separate from the Rockhampton School of Arts.
Classes were still held in the School of Arts building. More classroom space was made available in the Market Building for cooking classes. This building was across Bolsover Street from the School of Arts. The Technical College Committee had some elected members and some government-appointed members. In 1915, the Rockhampton Technical College opened on Bolsover Street.
By 1909, the upper balcony of the hall was thought to be too small. Edwin Morton Hockings, an architect from Rockhampton, drew plans for a curved gallery. This would extend from the stage to the back of the hall. This curved dress circle was said to increase seating to 1500 people. The hall was a central place for social events and entertainment in Rockhampton. Political meetings, fancy dress balls, patriotic rallies, and even the anti-conscription league used its facilities. In the 1920s, the hall was officially allowed to be a place of "public amusement and entertainment."
During times when money was tight, the School of Arts found other ways to earn income besides membership fees. Rent from commercial buildings on William Street, which the School of Arts owned, provided money when government help or member payments were low.
The building's foundations needed fixing again in 1923. This was because the base of the library's southern corner had sunk. It cost £591 to fix. At the same time, the supper room verandah, which faced the laneway, was enclosed with timber and louvres. To improve air flow in the hall, parts of the walls were removed. Louvres and woven panels were put in their place. In the library, air passages were added to the walls. A large skylight was put in the roof. At the same time, electricity and modern toilets were installed in the building.
A completely new floor was put in the hall in 1934 for dancing. The library floor was replaced in 1938.
Becoming a Public Library
The way the School of Arts library was managed changed in 1943. In 1927, the Queensland School of Arts Association had formed. It aimed to coordinate activities and book lending across the state. However, the School of Arts reading room faced competition from new forms of entertainment like radio and cinema. In 1943, The Libraries Act was passed. This law created the Queensland Library Board and promoted public libraries. The Library Board would help selected schools of arts.
The Board had paid library staff. But the growth of formal technical education and popular entertainment continued to lessen the importance of the school of arts. With fewer members and less money coming in, the Rockhampton City Council took over the School of Arts and its assets in 1946.
The library and museum continued to operate under the City Council. But the library still required a subscription to use. After World War II, the School of Arts building became home to the Rockhampton School of Arts Little Theatre (later Rockhampton Little Theatre). In 1949, the Rockhampton and District Historical Society formed and moved to the upper floor of the library. The Rockhampton Regional Promotion Bureau was on the upper floor from 1959 to 1971.
In 1960, changes were made to add a mezzanine floor above the adult library section. This was on the southern side of the entrance. The 1960s saw the return of foundation problems. Engineers suggested solutions, including building deep piles to anchor the building in the clay. They also suggested making the area around the building waterproof. Removing excess water from the ground was also recommended.
The School of Arts Hall was deemed unsuitable for continued use in 1962. Because it was in bad condition, plans for a new auditorium were drawn up in 1963. The old hall was removed, except for a part facing the laneway. A new theatre was built in its place. It was angled to create a new front on the southern part of the School of Arts property. This new building was named the Municipal Theatre. The Municipal Theatre was again an important part of Rockhampton's social and entertainment life. It hosted concerts, balls, and other events.
When the Wintergarden Theatre closed in 1974, the Municipal Theatre was the only large venue in Rockhampton. The Pilbeam Theatre Complex was opened by the Rockhampton City Council in 1979. It became another place for community and entertainment events. The Municipal Theatre continued to be used for weddings, balls, Little Theatre shows, and other cultural activities.
The Rockhampton City Council opened a free Municipal Library in North Rockhampton in 1971. The old School of Arts library became a free facility in 1972. For the next five years, the former School of Arts worked as a municipal library. Then, a new library opened on the corner of William and Alma Streets on 25 March 1977. The smaller buildings around the School of Arts, like the recreation room, were removed in 1976. A new building was put there for an immunization clinic, club rooms for the Rockhampton Little Theatre, and a caretaker's apartment. The old residence and the two-story School of Mines building were removed. A child care center was built on that site.
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The School of Arts building was recognized by the National Trust in 1980. Fixing the foundations with piles was considered in 1982 as part of a plan to preserve the building, but it was not done. After the preservation work, it was hoped the building would become a museum. The Rockhampton and District Historical Society used the meeting room and kept a collection on the upper floor until 1983. Then, the society moved to a new place in North Rockhampton.
The old School of Arts building has benefited from a preservation plan created in 1994. The School of Arts is a continuing link to the social, educational, and fun activities people in Rockhampton and Central Queensland hoped for.
The building was empty for 33 years before 2010. Then, it reopened after a long renovation project that cost $3 million. As part of this project, a new building for the Rockhampton Regional Library was built. It stands between the School of Arts building and the 1977 library. This new building is on the spot where the old 1963 Municipal Theatre used to be. The 1977 building now holds archives. The School of Arts building, which reopened two years after the new library in 2008, now serves as a public entrance for the library. It also houses council offices and community facilities.
What the Building Looks Like
The Rockhampton School of Arts is a two-story building made of plastered brick or stone. It faces Bolsover Street to the northeast, next to the Rockhampton Council Chambers. The building includes the front part of the original 1894 structure. The Municipal Theatre, built around 1964, is attached at the back. The front of the building, facing Bolsover Street, is very decorative and symmetrical. It has a central verandah with columns that is set back. In the middle, there's a projecting entrance with a triangular top. On either side are projecting corner sections.
The front has Corinthian pilasters (flat columns) that support a deep band of decoration. Above this is a low wall with urns at the corners. This wall hides a hipped roof made of corrugated iron. The pilasters are closer together on the projecting corner sections. The central entrance has pairs of pilasters. The decorative band above has the words "SCHOOL OF ARTS" raised on it. Both the ground floor and first-floor verandahs have been enclosed with glass louvres above the railing.
On the ground floor, the projecting corner sections have arched windows with sashes. The ground floor verandah has arches with clear base supports. The first-floor verandah has similar arches with clear outer edges and central wedge-shaped stones. The first-floor projecting corner sections have arched sash windows with clear base supports, outer edges, and central wedge-shaped stones. They also have small, semi-circular balconies.
Both sides of the building are plain. They have four sections with raised moldings at window sill and floor heights. The areas between the smooth flat columns have a rough plaster finish. There are windows with glass louvres in the center of each section. The northwest side faces a service lane. The southeast side faces the grounds of the Rockhampton Council Chambers. The Municipal Theatre, which is behind the main building, is set back from the southern corner to create a main entrance.
Inside, the building has timber ceilings and painted brick walls. The ground floor has a central entrance hall. This leads to a staircase at the back. On either side are large rooms connected by arched openings. Some brick walls have been removed, some openings filled with bricks, and some new walls added. The internal doors are made of timber panels with fanlights (small windows above) and decorative frames. French doors with fanlights open onto the enclosed verandahs. The staircase has turned timber newel posts (main posts at the ends of the railing) and timber handrails. It has cast iron balustrade panels (decorative railings), but some parts are missing. A new stair has been added at the northern end of the front verandah. Toilets are in the western corner. Several high-up ventilation openings have been added to the internal walls. The first floor has a similar layout. A skylight brightens the stair landing. Paired timber and glass doors with side windows and a fanlight open from the central hall to the enclosed verandah.
Some parts of the building have been damaged. This is due to the ground sinking under the foundations and water getting in. This has caused large cracks in the walls and damaged parts of the floor. Several archways have timber supports, and tie rods (metal bars) can be seen throughout the building.
At the back of the property, there is an immunization clinic and a child care center facing Alma Street.
Why This Building is Important
The former Rockhampton School of Arts was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. It met several important requirements.
Showing Queensland's History
The Rockhampton School of Arts is important because it helped shape the culture and social life of Rockhampton. Built in 1894, it shows how the School of Arts movement grew. This movement encouraged education, culture, social activities, and performing arts in towns and cities across Queensland in the 1800s and early 1900s. The building stands on the site of an earlier School of Arts from 1865. This land was set aside for a School of Arts in the 1862 Rockhampton Town Plan.
The building also shows how Rockhampton's city center developed, especially in the late 1800s.
A Special Part of Our Heritage
It is also a rare example of a large, strong stone School of Arts building in Queensland. Most were not built this grandly.
Beautiful and Significant Design
The School of Arts is important for its architecture. It is a great example of Victorian Classical style from the late 1800s. It adds a lot to the look of Bolsover Street in Rockhampton. The building is a key part of Rockhampton's civic center. It shows the big dreams the community had for Rockhampton. They hoped it would become a northern capital during the separation movement of the 1890s.
Connected to Important People and Groups
The building is important because of its connection to the separation movement. This movement started in the earlier School of Arts in 1890. It was very active in Rockhampton and Central Queensland from 1890 to 1901.
The building is also linked to Rockhampton architects William (Walter) Cherry and John Wilson. Wilson oversaw the design of the School of Arts. Wilson was a very busy architect. He designed over eighty buildings in Rockhampton from the early 1860s to the early 1900s. Wilson also designed other buildings in Rockhampton, like Trustee Chambers.
