Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator, Ipswich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator |
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Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator, 2021
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| Location | 10A Milford Street, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919–1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1936–1940 |
| Architect | Walter Burley Griffin |
| Official name: Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator (former), The Incinerator Theatre | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600596 |
| Significant period | 1936–1940 (fabric) 1930s–1960s (historical) |
| Significant components | chimney/chimney stack |
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The Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator is a special building in Ipswich, Australia. It used to be a place where rubbish was burned. Today, it is known as The Incinerator Theatre. This building was designed by a famous architect named Walter Burley Griffin. It was built between 1936 and 1940. The building is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because it is an important part of history.
Contents
The Incinerator's Story
The Incinerator Theatre, located in Queen's Park, Ipswich, opened in 1969. It was once a rubbish incinerator built in 1936. The famous architect Walter Burley Griffin designed it for the city of Ipswich.
Who Was Walter Burley Griffin?
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect. He studied architecture at the University of Illinois. From 1901 to 1906, he worked with the well-known architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1911, Griffin won a competition to design Australia's future capital city, Canberra. He then moved to Australia.
Griffin designed many important buildings. These include the Capitol Theatre in Melbourne. He also designed the Sydney suburb of Castlecrag.
Incinerators During the Great Depression
During the Great Depression, there was not much work for architects. So, Griffin and his partner, Eric Milton Nicholls, started designing municipal incinerators. These incinerators used a special burning system. It was patented by an Australian engineer named John Boadle.
The Reverberatory Incinerator Company built twelve of these incinerators. They were all uniquely designed. Today, only six of them are still standing. None of them are used as incinerators anymore. The Ipswich incinerator was built in 1936. It is the only building designed by Walter Burley Griffin in Queensland.
How the Incinerator Worked
The Ipswich incinerator was built into a hillside. This allowed trucks to drive up to the top level. They would back in through large doors. Then, they would dump rubbish into big containers called hoppers.
Workers would rake the rubbish into two burning chambers. Any leftover ash was then put out with water. An electric motor would move the residue away. The building first had one chimney. In 1940, a second burning unit and chimney were added. This made the incinerator able to handle more rubbish.
From Rubbish to Theatre
The incinerator was built to handle rubbish from a city of 20,000 people. By 1960, Ipswich had twice that many people. Also, people started to realize that burning rubbish was not good for the environment. So, the incinerator stopped being used.
The empty building started to be damaged by vandals. In 1965, the city council thought about tearing it down. But many people wanted to save the building. The Ipswich branch of the Arts Council suggested a new use. The Ipswich City Council agreed to let them use the building.
In 1969, the Ipswich Little Theatre decided to turn the building into a theatre. They helped pay for the changes.
The Ipswich Little Theatre
The Ipswich Little Theatre is a community theatre group. It started in 1946. Amateur theatre groups like this were important in Australia. They gave local writers a chance to show their plays. Professional theatres often showed plays from Britain and America.
During the Depression, amateur drama groups became very popular. They were often the only live performances many people could see. These groups also helped train actors, writers, and directors. The Ipswich Little Theatre has always supported local writers.
For a long time, the theatre group needed a permanent place. They used different halls and even private homes for meetings. As they collected props and scenery, they needed their own space even more. They started a fund to buy a building in the mid-1950s.
In 1969, the old incinerator was turned into a theatre. It could seat about 80 people. Engineer Ian Pullar, a member of the Little Theatre, designed the changes. They added an entrance balcony, toilets, and changing rooms. A rubbish hopper was removed to create the stage area. The space where machinery used to be became the audience seating. The Incinerator Theatre opened on November 22, 1969.
Later, in 1982, a new building was built nearby. It was named the Jean Pratt building. This building is used for meetings, rehearsals, and storage. In 1994, a new amenities building was opened. It provided better catering and public toilets. The Ipswich Little Theatre Society still uses the building today.
Building Features
The former incinerator is located in Queen's Park. The main building has two brick sections with sloped roofs. They are partly built into a hillside. The eastern part is four stories tall. The western part is two stories tall. There is also an extra chimney next to the building.
The building has special brickwork and concrete details. It has concrete floors. The roof is made of timber and covered with tiles. To enter the theatre, you walk up steps onto a walkway between the chimneys. The stage is at the far end, where rubbish used to be dumped.
The lowest floor behind the stage has rooms for actors. This includes a small kitchen. The level above has dressing rooms and toilets. The top level, where trucks entered, is now used to store theatre scenery.
A rehearsal building, called the Jean Pratt Building, is located west of the incinerator. It is a single-story brick building. North of the former incinerator is a concrete kitchen and toilet block. This was built in 1994.
Why This Building is Important
The former Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. It was added on October 21, 1992. This means it is a very important historical site.
- Shows History: The building shows how cities dealt with public health in the past. It also shows how community theatre has grown in Australia.
- Rare Example: This incinerator is one of only six like it left in Australia. It is also the only building in Queensland designed by Walter Burley Griffin.
- Beautiful Design: Even though it was an industrial building, it looks good. People liked its design so much they fought to save it. Its beauty helped it become a successful theatre.
- Community Connection: This building is the first permanent home for the Ipswich Little Theatre Society. It has a strong link to this group, which has added a lot to Ipswich's culture.
- Link to Walter Burley Griffin: The incinerator is important because of its connection to Walter Burley Griffin. It shows a part of his career and is his only work in Queensland.
See also
