Richard Gailey, Sr. (22 April 1834 – 24 April 1924) was an Irish-born Australian architect.
Gailey was born in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
, Ireland and emigrated to Australia in 1864, becoming an influential and prolific architect in colonial-era Brisbane. He died in
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 ...
on 24 April 1924, two days after his ninetieth birthday, and is buried in
Cleveland Cemetery along with his wife Mary, née Rice.
Body of work
His substantial body of work includes many commercial and residential buildings in Brisbane that today are considered colonial treasures. Some of these include:
*
Wickham Hotel at
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 ...
(1885)
*
Regatta Hotel at
Toowong
Toowong ( ) is a riverside Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 12,556 people with a median weekly household income of $1,927.
Geography
Toowong is ...
(1886)
*
Jubilee Hotel at
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 ...
(1887)
*
Watson Brothers Building in
Brisbane City (1887)
*
Sandgate Baptist Church (1887)
*
Prince Consort Hotel at
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 ...
(1888)
*
*
Moorlands at
Auchenflower (1892)
*
Brisbane Girl's Grammar School at
Spring Hill
* Empire Hotel in
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 ...
*
Orient Hotel in Queen Street (formerly the Excelsior)
* Oddfellows Hall at Fortitude Valley
*
Baroona Labor Hall in Caxton Street
*
Musgrave House at
Shorncliffe
* Masonic Hall at
Toowong
Toowong ( ) is a riverside Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 12,556 people with a median weekly household income of $1,927.
Geography
Toowong is ...
*
Sandgate Town Hall
* Windermere, 14 Sutherland Avenue
Ascot
Ascot, Ascott or Askot may refer to:
Places Australia
* Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane
* Ascot, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a locality
* Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide
* Ascot (Ballarat), town near Ballarat in Victoria ...
* Thomas Dixon Centre (Previously Thomas Dixon Company -Bootmaker) - West End
In addition to his architectural work, Gailey was also a licensed surveyor and responsible for surveying and laying out the town of
Bowen.
Characteristics of Gailey's work
Gailey's work combines the practical value in a sub-tropical environment of high-thermal mass masonry walls with the aesthetic value of finely detailed arches creating a wide veranda to shade the load-bearing walls from the sun during the hottest part of the day. This is best seen in the Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
Image:BGGS Main Bldg June 2011.jpg, Brisbane Girls Grammar School Main Bldg, Spring Hill, 2011.
Image:Regatta Hotel.JPG, Regatta Hotel
A cost-reducing alternative to masonry arches is seen in commercial buildings like the
Regatta Hotel. The wrought-iron filigree lacework replaces the masonry arches of the outer veranda. This elegant and practical approach has become known as
Queenslander architecture. Its use became widespread in early Queensland residential properties of substance.
Gailey Road, Taringa
Richard Gailey owned property in the area that came to be known as
Taringa
Taringa is a suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser o ...
. His name is commemorated in Gailey Road.
See also
*
:Richard Gailey buildings for his works
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gailey, Richard
1834 births
1924 deaths
Federation architects
Architects from County Donegal
Irish emigrants to colonial Australia
19th-century Australian architects
20th-century Australian architects