Addresses
Type of place
Work residence, Police station / building
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Police Station
Annerley Police Station
Addresses
Type of place
Work residence, Police station / building
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Queenslander
This combined police station/residence was constructed in 1925 in response to Annerley’s intensifying residential development. The station, which was then named Stephens Police Station, originally contained an office and enough space for two police officers and a constable to take up residence. The building was extended in the 1950s and again in the 1970s but still retains its interwar core. Still in use as a police station today, the building survives as a rare, substantially intact example of an interwar police station that has been modified throughout the twentieth century in line with the changing requirements of policing in local Annerley and wider Queensland.
Also known as
Stephens Police Station
Lot plan
L381_SL1001
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
People/associations
William James Ewart (Architect)Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (G) SocialInteractive mapping
Also known as
Stephens Police Station
Lot plan
L381_SL1001
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
People/associations
William James Ewart (Architect)Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (G) SocialInteractive mapping
History
In 1922, in response to the increased population resulting from more dense residential development in the Stephens District (now Annerley), the Police Department began looking for a suitable site for a new police station.
In 1925, land was made available in the School of Arts and Local Government Reserve for police purposes. Plans were prepared by the Department of Public Works and signed by W Ewart, the Chief Architect, in November 1924.
The timber station containing an office, two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, half hallway, dining room, verandah, bathroom and constable’s room at the rear, was erected in 1925 at a cost of £1,292.16.1.
During the 1930s the increased demands on the police station due to police responsibility for the distribution of rations and relief work, resulted in new verandah extensions.
In 1944 Stephens Police Station was renamed Annerley Police Station. This reflected the decline in usage of the Stephens Divisional Board nomenclature since the formation of the Greater Brisbane Council in 1925.
The police station has played a vital role in contributing to neighbourhood safety. Although the Stephens police district included part of Yeronga in the 1930s, by the early 1940s this arrangement was no longer feasible as the population in the area was growing rapidly.
The large military presence in Yeronga Park and other sites during the Second World War, as well as the continuation of work associated with Intermittent Relief and an increase in traffic offences, created a need for more staff and office space.
In the early 1950s the front office and western sides of the station were extended and a public office and porch were added. A new senior constable’s office was constructed. Further modifications and extensions occurred in the 1970s.
Description
This intact asymmetrical, timber bungalow with gable projection makes a significant contribution to the streetscape. The building has retained its Interwar core, though building has been extended in the 1950s and 1970s.
There is a wooden ‘lockup’ building at the rear.
Statement of significance
Relevant assessment criteria
This is a place of local heritage significance and meets one or more of the local heritage criteria under the Heritage planning scheme policy of the Brisbane City Plan 2014. It is significant because:
References
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Brisbane City Council Water Supply and Sewerage Detail Plan No 439, 1935
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Department of Natural Resources, Queensland Certificates of Title and other records
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Pullar, Margaret. Historical Reports on Ambulance, Fire and Police buildings throughout Metropolitan Brisbane, A Report for the Brisbane City Council Heritage Unit. 1995
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Stephens District Local Area Plan, 1995
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Brisbane City Council Properties on the Web
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Rough, Brian, ‘A brief look at five decades of policing in Annerley’, draft manuscript (no date)
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John Oxley Library Estate Map Collection
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John Oxley Library Photograph Collection
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McKellars Map of Brisbane and Suburbs 1995
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Apperly, Richard, Robert Irving and Peter Reynolds. A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture: Styles and Terms from 1788 to the Present. North Ryde: Angus & Robertson, 1989
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised April 2021)