Nundah Memorial Hall

The hall was built as a public memorial to the 1st and 2nd World Wars, and designed to be managed as a community centre. The foundation stone of the hall was laid by the

Queensland Governor, Sir John Lavarack, on 23 May 1953.

A lease was granted to the Trustees of Nundah-Northgate Memorial Hall Building Fund Society from 8 September 1954 to 13 June 1968, at a rental of, £10 per annum. The Trustees took out a mortgage in 1954 to the English, Scottish, and Australian Bank Limited, presumably to finance construction of the hall. Medium term leases were continued to 1989.

In 1982-84 the area underneath the hall was bricked under ostensibly to avoid vandalism, the hall was repainted internally, and the inside was relined with panel board below window level.

Over the years the hall has been used extensively by local community and educational organisations. It has been hired out for dancing classes, senior citizens’ dances, and for other uses as diverse as a country and western music club, coin and stamp collectors group, Red Cross, aerobic classes, the RSL, and local state and private schools.

During 1990 the Trustees arranged that the interior, entrance and external front of the hall was painted, and windows repaired. BCC carried out maintenance to the site including the replacement of eaves soffits and timber supports on the rear section of the building, and the replacements of eaves, guttering, down pipes and repair to roof.

The hall entry is from Bage Street, although at the time of writing this report, the street had disappeared into major excavations for the Nundah Bypass on Sandgate Rd. The concrete entry stairs rise to a simple portico, formed by an awning/ skillion and supported on each side by closely spaced timber posts. The hall is entered through three pairs of frosted glass doors. Egress from the hall is provided by a series of timber-framed stairs at the side of the building.

Inside, the hall features a polished hardwood floor and a rendered ceiling that spans the space in a single faceted arch. The raised stage area has angled wings and a simple proscenium opening. The change rooms and amenities are housed in the two-storey extension behind the stage area.

A brief visual inspection of the building reveals it to be in generally good physical condition, but there is evidence of water damage to the vaulted ceiling in the main hall. Some of the external render is cracking in places.

The 1970 extension complements the original building and is scaled and positioned so as not to detract from the large unadorned volume of the hall.

The building is part of what was once an attractive community precinct on Bage Street, comprising the Hall, adjacent library, two attractive school complexes and the Corpus Christi church with its landmark dome. The precinct, along with its visual and pedestrian amenity, has been shattered by the roadwork excavations.

1. Brisbane City Council Water Supply and Sewerage Detail Plans

2. Brisbane City Council Minutes

3. Brisbane Telegraph, 1922