Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 9 : Construction of the cultural centre, 1977-1981

. - ·--~~ _""""':"' An arcltltect'• Impression at tire cultural centre. Th• proposed art 1all1ry, mtaurant and auditorium 1r1 on tit, 11lt, wlth 111, perlormln1 arts centre an :I muNum In Ille centre and tire State llllla,y on the rl.ht . CULTURAL . CENTRE Construction work on the giant ·0ueensland Cultural Centre on the south bank of the Brisbane River will start soon. · TO HAVE EARLY START ProJed held, Sir David Muir, revealed yesterday tenden for the first stare would be called this monlh. It Involves construc• tlon of an art gallery. a double-level restaurant and an auditorium. Tenders for the second stage. a massive per– formtnr arts centre, will be co.lied In November. Both sections will be built before the Brisbane Commonwealth Oames In 1982 - stage one by April 1981 and stage two by February 1982. The cultural centre wlll represent I rreat leap forward for Brls• ba.ne . Library The centre will trans– tonn the river end of the city and wlll eventuaUy Include the Queensland museum and State art pllery and library. Architects ha,e pre– dicted I& will be the equal ot an:, cuUural centre In Auatralla. The centre haa been In the plannlnr stares for several years. Sir David Muir gave a surprise Indication that It was all systema ro for .: I By MICK BARNES I construotlon on Wedne1• day night when ·hfl an– nounced his retirement as chairman ot the Queensland. The II t re Company. He told a theatre audl• ence he had to give up his Job II idmlnlstratlve head of the QTC becauae he had to concentrate on the construction of the cultural centre. Sir David haa been chairman of the theatre company since It WU founded In 1989, He said that u chair• man of the Queensland Cultural Centre Trust, he raced an excltlnr time. "We face a time or In• tense activity," he said. ''We will be letttns t e n d • r • profre1Jalvely. Tho • e tint ,wo IUIIH will be built by early 1982 and the whole pro– ject • hould be fblllbtd by 19H, "POlllllbly many people In Brlabane don't realise It but preparatory wort worth t:I ml!Uon la already under way. "Present estlmatea for the cost or the entire centre are ta million · and even with Innation I doubt they wlU rise above ,100 mllllon by the time of completion." The centre Is expected to revolutionise Queens• land'a performlnr arta. The theatre complex has been dellgned to accommodate the same elze eeta II almlllar centres In Adelaide and Melbourne. Theatre Th.II meam the thne cltlea will be able to necouate with overaeu companlea collectively and attract the belt quallt:, theatre rrou))I. One ot the ,heatn • ID '11• ..,,ormln1 Arla Catn, the L,rlc, wtll baH mo'Hble wallJ ant eelllap IO that Natln1 afeommotallon ean lie altered from IOOO to HOO to 1000 wllb DO I– of acoutlc • • When completed, the entire centre wlll tr • ns• form the clt7'1 .,uthem end Into one or the m01t beautiful rlveralde ,.,._. In the world. lnterst • te vlattor • C'lffl• lnr from the Melbourne Street r1llw17 ltatlon wlll drive throu1h It to 1et to the Inner city. Sir David sa71: "It wlll have many slmllarltl• to the National Theatre In London which la a mulll•lheatre complu overlooking a beautiful river, two brld1ee and lookln1 along the rlftl' to the Ho111e1 ot Parlll,, ment. 11 The Qo,ernment II expected to call 11 ~ conference rel1a1ln1 more detail• on Ula cultural cmtre Uill weet.