Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 7 : Debate on New Art Gallery and Cultural Centre, 1970-1976

./ ' • THI C0UIIII-MAIL TUU, APlllL IO 1974 20 centre He was supported by Srisbane theatre spokesmen who said new faoilities·wete niedi!d to ensure that large productions came to Brisban~. T he Prem I e' r <Mr. larae · J)roductlona/ whtch BJelke-Petersen> on Bun• could come bere. day anno:mced a feul• The cultural Activities b1llty study lrlto flnlll• d I r e.c tor (Mr. Arthur clna and · p1anntn1 tne Creedy) aald a new per– cen~r~, f o rm I n I aria centre I ,' He envla&ged a concert wo u Id ,need • to in– hall and facilities for Uve corporate 1 four ,lll)U&te theatre, ballet ,and other theatrea. · performing art.a, neces- , "'He l&ld thirt would be l&l'Y beca.use ·Her MIJes• need foJ a larp ,-nd _,. •ty'a Theatre ~•bt cloae. · · llli&lJ the~tre for music Mr. Rooln Gibson, the and a 111'1• 1111d am.it arcpitect who, produced , theatre for drama. •the duJan aceepted for There would alaO need the gallel')' and m1111um to be apaee for rehearsal, in SOllth Brtlban•, •ai~ practice and· tralninl fa- _tbe alte...,aa ldeal. . i ''cllltlea. I It WU vllllble from the Mr 0reedy aatd be had cl t Y and Bouth-Eaat been.' dlsappoln1"d that I-Preeway and people were performln. 11 arts and the I always in pont&C~ with It. crafta had not been In– The alte was Handy to eluded ln •the design, of I p u b l l c ~port and the new ut gallery when wtthln ,valkliig distance it waa planned orljrinally. . of the 'City• •·. " B u·t it loob lJke eixnan•lon Queensland will do even ~ _ .., "l'f• , •• •• ' better now:" he said. , Government sources ' 'Jn• tea d of having u.ld the i;,reaent alte wu t}Jem all crammed ln the blg enou1b to meet poa• one ·b~din1 1·~ mall · ay_~ 1.t all>le tut:ure exJ)allsion,of • better dea& for cu - the ga.llerY and museum. tural ficllltlea," he uld. : • tood tb t He hollf!d the new , It la undera "id t centre would be planned the oovemment wou ' a c q u l re further land, ])OSSlbly ()Wned by ' the Federal ,OOYJrJl.lllent. t , . Her MaJesty'a The~ re manager, lMr. 8. Neale) sald he could not see how . Brisbane . could 1 db 1 wlth· out a new theatre. ' . W h e n hla theatre closed, it,l\ad one year of lta lease to go with a two year option, . Brlabane's along ·lines similar to the Arts Centre in Mel- • bou1ne. · · t._.. Early work ,. Mr. Creedy tho111ht that It w~ unl~IY that the· plans tor the &rt r~l- 1,,,ry wou\.t be changea u · ·•· 1ot bf {round work ~et 1 been dQne. \ Wcirka Department sp ltesman said that pro– p0ulll to lncorporite an arte centre on the art aallery site had not been 1 dlacUll88d In detail; He did pot think lt would be practical to In– corporate performln1 uta- and t.ne art gallery ln one building. The spokesman said he lmaslned more land v.:ou\d have to be bought near the site for the ad– ditional f~cllltlea, which would probabl~ bf! s~t up as a separate Tilentlty. There were stll1 some property 1cqulsl~lona to be comp!~ on the art 1allery site. ' 1 • ' Wo{k' on t~e site waa ·expec ed to statt In the middle of nm year. . ' ~ ~,81.:.6-rt bl11est tl\eati'e would be the 8.0J.O., which held a little more than 600 people. "We .muat have some– thing capable of han– dllnf 1300, like Her Maj– esty a, to attract bill ba,1- lets, mualcata and oper– as," he sa}d. $ 2:s·m "P&ia on "It's not economically possible for pups to perform ln tlie sme.ller theatres." c·ultural site Brisbane Arts Theatre administrator (Mr. Ray Dunlop·) said a new theatre would not affect Brisbane's smaller ones. Thl!Y would probably benedt beCause of the ln– _tereat generated by the THI State Go.. mment ha1 paid $2,833,000 fer the block IMtw••• Melbourne St,.. t and Manhattan Walk, South lri1b•.., for lb propo1ed cultural COttlflH. -~ - · · The prt>l)f'rtlta pu r – cha.,ed Include the Ma n– hattan Hotel complei,. , the Palace Hotel 1lte an d lWOlll l o t mentsw t h building~ rronttnr Mel – bourne s•.rf•· Th e T rti\.1 -irer t SI r Qordnn ChAlk • ~IIJd t:1P Gov~nment •mended ·,, comp let e 1he r.ulturn.: c o m p I e I wit.run 11 ve yu.rs . The On·.rrn me nt abo hu acquired !and on the other side or Melbourne Stnet to be used as a Jlt.e for the new State Art o.Jlery. The M•nh&L'.ll'l Hotel W & S p I 5 I, d m fN 11.:ioo.ooo in 111 1,uct1nn In 19'72 &nd !Mer WU 1101<1 to an lnter,tate con• ,ortlum for tl .380.000. There ~ pla.ns t.o bull~ an lnt1rnau onal hoi.t-mot.el on t.lU! Pl'OP· m,y. I! 11 under~tood the 00vemment was able t.o ilUY l h15 prOJ?tTLY fo~ le~, han the price asked by the CO!lMlrtlU~ Swap hope The r,o,e r.i ment hopPs that the City Co11nc.l .,.1 1 agr~ to SWfl l' .1:. Manhattan Wa.lk p1uk a~ea for an atl'a of eq ua: s I z e along !\L lboume .Street. Thi., wou ld .i.llow the c 1ltJral c:om::,lex butld– :n11~ tr, abut t he Ma,,s– , ra e·~ Court.~. wh ich face s:ar1lev S'..rre t. I 111• ol the hUllci!Jl.. nn the block. part of the 01<1 technica l correspond – ~n ce 1chool. alr~ady are owned by t.he oovern• nient. I