Queensland Colonial Architecture and Verandahs
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In 1886, the symbolic structure known as the Regatta Hotel was built in the form we know it as today. It is recognized for its impressive colonial Queensland style verandahs which grace its two street-facing elevations. This familiar landmark is an admirable example of Queensland colonial architecture at a public scale. The suburbs of Taringa and Toowong are distinguished for featuring prime examples of early Queensland’s federation style homes yet the Regatta Hotel and its decadent fringing are one of the best examples of this architectural style which can be experienced by the public.
Focusing on the verandah, this indoor/outdoor space adorning so many of our public and private buildings has become culturally and psychologically embedded in our identity. Queenslanders in particular have invested a certain quality into their beloved verandah space. The grandeur of the Regatta’s verandahs is what is most identifiable about this hotel and gives it architectural similarity with the hundreds of pubs of its era scattered around Australia.
The verandah is highly valued in this style of architecture, with the space acting as a buffer zone between in and out. Verandahs in general have a high prospect value, allowing one to view the outside happenings of the world while feeling safe and partially enclosed and perhaps this theory can relate why this space is so intrinsically linked with the Australian culture at that time when Australia was looking out on the world for expansion and growth.
The Regatta Hotel and its symbolic verandah have remained constant over the changing generations and is symbolic of the cultural values and climatic understandings which are imperative in this part of Australia.
