Fortitude Valley Post Office is a heritage-listed former
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
at 740
Ann Street,
Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestri ...
,
City of Brisbane
The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council.
The LGAs in the other mainland state capitals ...
,
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. It was designed by
Colonial Architect's Office and built in 1887 by William Ferguson. It is also known as Fortitude Valley Post & Telegraph Office. It was added to the
Queensland Heritage Register
The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...
on 24 January 2003.
History
The Fortitude Valley Post Office and Telegraph Office, as it was first called, was constructed in 1887 by William Ferguson for the Queensland Post and Telegraph Department to a design prepared by the Colonial Architect's Office of the
Department of Public Works. The original working drawings are unsigned however it is believed that the design was carried out by either
John James Clark, who was the Colonial Architect from 1883 to 1886 or
George St Paul Connolly, who held the position from 1887 to 1891. The building, composed in the
Victorian Italianate architectural style, is one of only ten substantial Queensland post offices designed in this style that were all built between 1879 and 1898. Comparatively, the Fortitude Valley Post Office has the most ornately detailed cement-rendered facade and is the only post office designed and constructed with mansard roofs. The building was also one of only two masonry post offices that were built in 1887 – all others were constructed of timber.
Government policies in 1887 required that post and telegraph services were combined, and that accommodation for postmasters and their families be provided. Accordingly, the Fortitude Valley Post Office was designed to have post and telegraph services at ground level with living quarters above. A single-storey service wing originally extended northwards to the rear of the building and opened onto a fenced courtyard abutting Ballow Street. Internally the ground floor consisted of a spacious office area for the combined services of post and telegraph. Access to the postal services was via the vestibule located at the corner of Ann and Ballow Streets that led to a small public area with a diagonal counter. Telegraph or parcel services were accessed via the smaller vestibule located at the far end of the arcade facing Ann Street. The first floor was occupied entirely by the postmaster's living quarters and consisted of two living rooms, four bedrooms and an internal bathroom. The single-storey service wing at the rear consists of the postmaster's dining room, kitchen and servant's room. Earth closets were located adjacent to the kitchen, in northern corner of the site.
At the time of the Fortitude Valley Post Office's construction, the suburb was experiencing a period of great business and residential expansion. Nearby areas such as
New Farm and
Teneriffe to the east and
Breakfast Creek
The Breakfast Creek ( Aboriginal: ''Yawagara '') is a small urban stream that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia.
Course and features
Rising as the Enoggera Cre ...
and
Bulimba Reach
Bulimba Reach is a reach (geography), reach of the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Bulimba Reach flows from south (upstream) to north (downstream). The suburbs of Hawthorne, Queensland, Hawthorne and Bulimba, Queen ...
to the north were similarly experiencing expansion. The opening of the Teneriffe wharves to international shipping accelerated the growth of the area and this, together with a large increase in the volume of business, placed severe strain on the original postal and telegraph facilities in Fortitude Valley that had been set up in 1877. The government's purchase of the site at the corner of Ann and Ballow Streets in 1884 caused a controversy amongst the local residents and businesses in Fortitude Valley who desirous of a centrally located post office closer to the centre of business, at the corner of
Brunswick and Wickham Streets. The matter caused some debate within the Post and Telegraph Department in 1885; however plans for the Ann Street site proceeded irrespectively. Aversion to the post office's location persisted among the local community for many years until eventually the matter was settled in 1936 by the Director-General of the
Postmaster-General's Department
The Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) was a department of the Australian federal government, established at Federation in 1901, whose responsibilities included the provision of postal and telegraphic services throughout Australia. It was ...
in Melbourne who declared that funds for the construction of a new post office would not be available.
Following the
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Wester ...
, Postmaster General's Department was established in 1901, after which the responsibility for the Fortitude Valley Post Office was transferred to the
Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...
. Minor alterations were made to the ground floor interior in 1909 and again in 1925. It was around this time that the post office took on the ancillary responsibility of
social security
Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
payments. A report prepared by the Acting District Inspector in November 1929 stated that 1,205 pensions were being paid weekly from the Fortitude Valley Post Office and it was understood that this was, with one exception, the heaviest pensions paying centre in Australia at the time. Documentation of the removal of the
mansard roofs and cast concrete
capitals
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
from the Fortitude Valley Post Office has not been found; however, it is believed to have occurred prior to 1949. Pressure from the Australian Government to expand facilities eventually led to the vacation of the postmaster from the first floor . It was proposed that the rooms be used for a Telegraph and Despatch room and staff facilities; however the area was used minimally thereafter. In 1958 major alterations were carried out on the entire building. Amongst these changes was the introduction of a stairwell in the main entrance vestibule, private letter boxes in the smaller vestibule off Ann Street, removal of all interior walls on the first floor and the partial rebuilding of the service wing at the rear. Further alterations, carried in 1970, caused the rear wing to be completely demolished and replaced with a larger two-storey wing that abuts Ballow Street. Substantial reorganisation of the original post office's interior was also carried out at this time.
Suspended ceilings were introduced in some areas of the ground floor at this time.
The Postmaster General's Department remained responsible for the Fortitude Valley Post Office until 1975 when
Australia Post
Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation and also known as AusPost, is an Australian Government-State-owned enterprise, owned corporation that provides postal services throughout Australia. Australia Post's head office is loca ...
and
Telecom Australia
Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 stock index, and is Australia's largest telecom ...
were created, thus dividing the postal and telecommunication services into two semi-government departments. Australia Post carried out alterations to the building in 1987, which effectively stripped the ground-floor interior of all previous accretions. Externally, some restoration of the original fabric was carried out and a historic colour scheme was reinstated.
By 2010, it was being used as the GPO Hotel.
Description

The Fortitude Valley Post Office occupies an almost level south-east corner site at Ann and Ballow Streets, Fortitude Valley,
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
. The original building occupies approximately 40 per cent of the existing site allotment No. 21.
The Post Office is a two-storey brickwork, steel and timber construction, with porphyry footings. The brickwork is cement rendered externally and incised with a ruled
ashlar
Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones.
Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
finish. The building's southern and eastern corners are elaborately decorated with rendered mouldings that include ornate window hood-mouldings, sculptural
frieze
In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
s, partly
balustraded parapets
A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
and unusual shaped
pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
s.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
steps lead up to the ground floor level
arcades on both street frontages. The arcades are formed by a set of segmental arches carried by rendered piers supported by
pedestal
A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...
s. Above the arcades are open
verandahs
A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian English, Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a handrail, railing and frequently ...
that have intricately designed
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
balcony
A balcony (from , "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. They are commonly found on multi-level houses, apartme ...
column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
s and railings.
The original 1887 section of the building is roughly square in plan, with walls that are mainly of plaster-rendered brickwork. Some remnants of the original
lath-and-plaster timber-framed interior partition walls survive on the upper floor level. Ceilings and
soffits throughout the building are lined with beaded
tongue & groove boarding; however a timber-framed
dropped ceiling
A dropped ceiling is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main (structural) ceiling. It may also be referred to as a drop ceiling, T-bar ceiling, false ceiling, suspended ceiling, grid ceiling, drop in ceiling, drop out ceiling, or ceiling tile ...
, sheeted in plasterboard has been introduced at ground level in some areas. Floors throughout the building are hardwood tongue and grooved boards that have been overlaid with carpet at the ground level and vinyl tiles at the upper level. Some original cedar doors and
architrave
In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns.
The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...
s have survived. Two
fireplaces
A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design.
...
, formerly located on the building northern wall, have both been bricked up and their surrounds removed.
At ground level the original building currently consists mainly of a corner
vestibule and one large space, partly partitioned to create three small offices along the northern wall. Several openings in the original rear wall of the building provide access to the substantially altered former rear verandah area. As part of the alterations in this verandah area a
strong room
A bank vault is a secure room used by banks to store and protect valuables, cash, and important documents. Modern bank vaults are typically made of reinforced concrete and steel, with complex locking mechanisms and security systems. This article ...
has been constructed with plaster-rendered brickwork, a reinforced concrete floor and ceiling, and a metal safe door. At the northern end of this area is the original cedar staircase, now painted, which leads to the upper floor. At the upper level there are several large rooms formed by the removal of most original partition walls. Male and female toilets have been introduced along the northern wall. All of the original cedar
French doors
A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide securit ...
at the upper level still survive, although they have been over painted.
Adjacent to the 1887 section of the building is a two storeyed brick extension constructed in 1970. The structure, which faces Ballow Street, contains an extensive mail room, private mail box area and garage at ground level, and postman's setting up area and staff lunch area at the upper level. Large openings between the two parts of the building exist at both floor levels.
The roof on the 1887 section of the post office is currently a single low gradient steel deck
skillion that slopes from Ann Street down towards the rear of the section. The original
chimney
A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typical ...
stacks have been removed. A second steel deck skillion of similar gradient exists over the later two storeyed section at the rear.
Heritage listing
The former Fortitude Valley Post Office was listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register
The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...
on 24 January 2003 having satisfied the following criteria.
The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.
The Fortitude Valley Post Office, built in 1887, is important for its ability to demonstrate the evolution of post and telegraph services in Queensland and the development of Fortitude Valley, at a time of rapid trade, commerce, industry and residential expansion in the area. The grand style and scale of the building demonstrate the prosperity of Fortitude Valley at that time.
The siting of the building at the corner of Ann and Ballow Streets is of interest for the controversy it caused between the government and the local residents and businesses who were preferable of the building being located closer to the business centre of Fortitude Valley. The post office is also of interest for the ancillary role it played in the distribution of social security payments of various kinds during the early 1900s, at which time it was claimed to be among the heaviest pensions paying centre in the Commonwealth.
The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage.
The building is a rare example of a post office composed in the Victorian Italianate style, being one of only ten such buildings designed by the Colonial Architect's Office of the Department of Public Works in that architectural form. The Fortitude Valley Post Office is particularly unusual as the only post office in Queensland to be designed and constructed with mansard style roofs.
The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.
The building's ornately detailed facade, regarded amongst the most elaborate of all post offices in Queensland, is of considerable aesthetic significance. The variety of mouldings, motifs and cast masonry decorations demonstrate a fine quality of workmanship.
It is of interest as an example of a post office with a combined postmaster's residence.
The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.
The building's ornately detailed facade, regarded amongst the most elaborate of all post offices in Queensland, is of considerable aesthetic significance. The variety of mouldings, motifs and cast masonry decorations demonstrate a fine quality of workmanship. The building remains as one of only a few substantial late nineteenth century buildings in Fortitude Valley, and its contribution to its surroundings is highly significant for demonstrating the character of the area at the turn of the century.
The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
The Fortitude Valley Post Office has a strong association with the general community of Fortitude Valley for the essential role it has played in the provision of essential postal and telecommunication services. The siting of the building at the corner of Ann and Ballow Streets is of interest for the controversy it caused between the government and the local residents and businesses who were preferable of the building being located closer to the business centre of Fortitude Valley. The post office is also of interest for the ancillary role it played in the distribution of social security payments of various kinds during the early 1900s, at which time it was claimed to be among the heaviest pensions paying centre in the Commonwealth.
References
Attribution
External links
*
*
Fortitude Valley Post Office Discover Queensland Buildings website
{{Australian Post Offices, state=collapsed
Queensland Heritage Register
Heritage of Brisbane
Fortitude Valley, Queensland
Ann Street, Brisbane
Post office buildings in Queensland
Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register
1887 establishments in Australia
Hotels in Brisbane