| Parliament House | |
|---|---|
Parliament House in Brisbane |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | French Renaissance Revival |
| Location | Gardens Point, Brisbane |
| Address | Cnr George Street and Alice Street, Brisbane City, Queensland |
| Construction started | 1864 |
| Completed | 1891 |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | Queensland Government |
| Architect | Robert Tiffin |
Parliament House in Brisbane is the home of the Parliament of Queensland, housing the Legislative Assembly. It is situated on the corner of George Street and Alice Street. Parliament House is bordered by the Queensland University of Technology and the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.
When Queensland was established as a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859, its new Parliament met in temporary quarters at the Old Convict Barracks in Queen Street. This facility sufficed whilst the Government of Queensland directed funds for construction of Government House.
In 1886, the building was connected to the Government Printing Office via an underground cable. This provided the building with an electrical supply, the first for any Parliament House in Australia.[1]
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In 1863, design plans by Robert Tiffin for a new Parliament House were finally selected from an Australia-wide design competition.[2] Amid controversy and allegations of undue influence on the outcome of the competition, Tiffin donated his prize money for the design to the Ipswich Grammar School. In 1864 the foundation stone for the building was laid, and it was built by Joshua Jeays. The George Street frontage was completed in 1868 in French Renaissance Revival style, with some Second Empire-style elements. The colonnades were built in 1878, and construction on the Alice Street frontage commenced in 1887.
The original zinc roof was replaced in the 1980s with one constructed from Mount Isa copper. A 22-storey Parliamentary Annexe building was completed in 1979, built within the grounds of the old Parliament House.
Art exhibitions and other displays are frequently staged in the spacious ground floor areas of the Annexe.
Free public guided tours of the Parliament are available each week day. Also, a gift shop, selling souvenirs and memorabilia, is located in the main foyer.
Parliament House was also used as one of the filming locations for the 1980s Australian series of Mission: Impossible.
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