Rollinson Buildings

From the 1860s the population of the Valley grew, having over 1000 residents by this time. The commercial nature of the Valley was also beginning to emerge. Most commercial activity in this period was centred between Ann, Brunswick and Wickham Streets. The improvement of access from the city centre to the Valley due to the levelling of Duncan’s Hill between the two areas in the 1870s assisted the growth of this part of Brisbane

In the last two decades of the nineteenth century the population of the Valley increased even more, and with this the commercial nature of the Valley centre grew with relatively large scale construction in the area. As this occurred those living within the centre began to move to more suburban areas such as New Farm and Bowen Hills. By the turn of the century the valley heart was commercially dominated and the buildings were of a more substantial nature.

The success of the Valley commercial area at the turn of the century saw large traders such as TC Beirne, McWhirters and Overells department stores encourage shoppers to the Valley. Efficient public transport systems such as electric trams and trains to and through the Valley contributed to the commercial success of the area. 

At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries a row of shops existed on the site. In 1914 to 1922, Fanny Isabella Dawes, owned the premises and leased the shops to various businesses including a watchmaker, a dressmaker, a fruiterer, a jeweller, and a fish shop. The 1920s was a decade of further growth in Fortitude Valley, with its success as a commercial and industrial hub. In this decade the cutting on Duncan’s Hill for Ann Street was widened, opening the Valley even further to the rest of Brisbane, allowing a greater volume of traffic into the area.

It was in this period James Rollinson purchased the existing shops. Rollinson owned a large cattle station, Allandale, in central north Queensland. As a shrewd businessman, Rollinson envisaged the commercial potential of owning a premises in this area of Brisbane. In 1925 plans were approved for the construction of brick shops at the Brunswick Street address. The new building was to be built by G.H. Turner and designed by Brisbane architectural firm Hall and Prentice. 

Established in 1919, Hall and Prentice were responsible for several of Brisbane’s finest buildings, including Brisbane City Hall, Tattersall’s Club, Ascot Chambers, Musket Villa in Ascot, Shell House and Sandgate Town Hall. T. R. Hall was a Brisbane born architect and the son of  renowned architect Francis Richard Hall, of Hall and Dods. He played an important role in the history of Brisbane horse racing with his name commemorated in the T.R. Hall Handicap. George Gray Prentice, also a Brisbane born architect, played an active role in architecture and art in Queensland, being secretary and vice-president at various times of the Queensland Institute of Architects as well as president and vice-president of the Queensland Art Society. Renowned for their prestigious designs the Rollinson building is an important example of their smaller scale commercial work. 

The new premises would cost ₤5200.  The building was built to accommodate six independent ground floor shops. A few months after the construction of the building more plans were approved for an extension of a brick kitchen at the rear of the building, this too was designed by Hall and Prentice. By 1927 the shops had all been leased to various small businesses, including a fruiterer, grocer, purveyor of small goods, a dressmaker and a watchmaker.  

The Rollinson building contributes greatly to the streetscape of this section of Brunswick Street. As a substantial 1920s brick commercial building with its neighbour, the Carroll’s Corner building, also a prominent 1920s brick building, the high quality of these buildings reflect the economic success of Fortitude Valley in this period. Today the Rollinson building maintains its commercial nature by accommodating shops and restaurants.

1. Historic Titles, Department of Natural Resources and Water

2. Queensland Post Office Directories

3. Watson, Donald and Judith McKay. A Directory of Queensland Architects to 1940. (St. Lucia: U of Q Press, 1984)

4. Detail Fire Survey: City of Brisbane, 1951, Mahlstedt’s: Consulting Fire Engineers and Surveyors, Melbourne

5. Metropolitan Water and Sewage Survey Maps, 1914

6. North Brisbane Electoral Rolls, 1898 and 1900

7. Donald Watson and Judith McKay, Queensland Architects of the Nineteenth Century, South Brisbane: Queensland Museum, 1994