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

if rl Ii r, t a 'j~ C JJI ,q14 Major repairs to be carried State Public Works Deportment engin- t t ~ 11 y eers are to begin a major inspection and OU a a er repair job at the Queenslond Art Gallery _ _ later this week or next week. ...... ·"· . . . " '\ \, ' Chairman of the gal- - Sir Leon said the new lery's trustees, Sir Leon gnllery, near the south– Trout, suict today the end of Vict oria Brlctge, most v11lu a.blc paintings was not expected to be would be removed and ready tor occupation probably not be seen in u111 ii 1078 . and Queens– public again until n pro- landers would probnlJI.1• posed new gulle1·y opened 1101 sec the gallery's cul- m 1978. le<·tion umil then. Sir Leon sn lct the gnl- The ll'IIStCCS said Ill a lery, which shares prem- j 1ct1.L•r lo the Ed11C'nt.1onal ises, built 75 yeHrs ago as n n d Cu 1 tur n I Affai rs a concert hall. with the Minister, Sir Alim Jo'lr.t- -Queensland Museum at cher, that nn est1111a1 cit the comer of Gregory · 1400 square m e t r e s Terrace and Bowen (15,000 sq 1are feet) of Bridge Road, was ridden storage spnce would be with white ants and needed to house the col– some of the beams sup- lectlon. porting the roof were so s I r LeOn said the rotten they did not meet. trustees had been aware He said depending on for some time of Uie crlt– the timetable set by the ical state of the building, Worka Department the As&lstant director of gallery -;,·ould close with- the aaJJery, Mr. B. Mel- In a few days, and re- • main cloaed {cir- aome llsh, said some paintings weeks. had been stained by wa- ''The building should ter and others were in be clo.sed forever because danger. It could fal! down with- The new gallery will out any warning durln_1 cost an eatlmated •7.6 another storm or catch million. fire easily," he aald. Sir Leon said In the SI r Leon 1&id the plans for the new gallery trustees had reached the near the Brisbane River d ea per ate poeJt!on of there waa no danger in havina to draw up a liat the future of the collec– of the most valuable of tion being damaged by more than 1000 paintings f I o o d similar to the in the cc>llectlon wh1ch January flood. could be taken from the In Parliament last Frl– gallery and stored under day the Works Minister, guard in air-oondltioned Mr Hodges, said about prem!aes. half of the new art gal- The collection la valued lery site had been under at more than ,, million. water In January with Sir Leon· said the aal- the lowest point of the lery should ::tever be re- site 2 m (6 feet) under opened to the publlc as water with the highest there was a danger point approximately 2 m people could be kllled if (6 feet) above flood level. the building collapsed. Mr. Hodges said the State Cabinet decided lower floor would hRve yesterday to have a aur- been approxlma.tely 0.6 m vey made of the gall.?ry (2 feet) above wnter and and to try and find an the main gallery · floor alternative site for the 7 rn (23 feet> above wa- oalntinas. tcr. "COURIER MAIL" Brf11Hine, Qld. 2 2 OCT 1974 ~ifyneed :· for art •1:- . .............d •c-– lifete· •ltuNI CfftN Ill ' which •II hfffl1 •f •rt llilul• .. 1 ecco111111NetN, tht lndu1trlel Dn•lop– n'lent illrector (Sir . DevW )i,'lulrl • al• J"toNley Sir Davi told Kelvin Grove Teachers' College aludenta at the <>penlng of, the Coll"e's Festival pt Arts that such a centre would be, a valu– able addition to the -8 t a t e ' • oultu1'11l ex– pansion. "One result I o! the ever-expanding tech– l1l!loglcal age of Jn– dUlltrialtilation will be ln– c~r,ed leisur~ time,'' h~ u The te11t.lval will con– "'nue !or !our days with ,11)uslc (today), physlcal education (tomorrow) dramt a (Thursday) and •r (:P 'r.lt !Av\