Brisbane City Hall – Buy

On one of my evenings strolls through Brisbane I came across the City Hall which can be found in King George Square. The building is as elegant as it is grand. Yet, not without controversy, and I do like a bit of controversy when it comes to local government buildings. 

In the early 1900’s after it was decided that the current City Hall was inadequate, and after many years of debate over where the new site for the building should be, a possibility of two locations was decided upon. However, Mayor Charles Jenkinson then sold one of the two sites to the Cathlolic Church, who promptly started construction of a Cathedral, leaving the City Hall to be built on the site which it stands today. 

Several years later the foundation stone for the City Hall was laid with a time capsule inside before construction started. However, the stone was discovered to be out of alignment, moved, then lost – along with the time capsule. 

Later, following the death of a construction worker who drowned while the swamp where the building was going to stand was drained, the Council began occupancy of the building in 1927. Nearly 20 years after the plans had been confirmed and the site was first chosen.