Addresses
Type of place
Flat building
Period
World War II 1939-1945
Style
Art Deco
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Flats `Corio'
Corio
Addresses
Type of place
Flat building
Period
World War II 1939-1945
Style
Art Deco
This apartment block was completed in 1940 and was possibly the last multi-unit dwelling constructed on Brisbane’s south-side, before World War Two led to the total control of Brisbane’s building industry. ‘Corio’ is a component of a minor building boom that occurred in the South Brisbane area during the 1930s. A small number of modern flats or apartments were built to meet the accommodation needs of inner-city workers. This went against the established trend to cheaply convert large, nineteenth century residences into flats or boarding houses.
Lot plan
L9_RP42480; L8_RP42480; L7_RP42480
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Masonry
People/associations
Chambers and Ford (Architect);Horace Sanham (Builder)
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (D) Representative; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L9_RP42480; L8_RP42480; L7_RP42480
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Masonry
People/associations
Chambers and Ford (Architect);Horace Sanham (Builder)
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (D) Representative; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
History
‘Corio’ is a building representative of a particular social and architectural phenomenon that occurred in inner city areas in the 1920s and 1930s. It is one of a number of purpose-built apartment blocks erected in the South Brisbane area at that time. Contemporaneous with this apartment construction was the division into flats of many of the grand nineteenth century residences in the area.
The establishment of higher-density residential living in inner-city areas was in response to a number of diverse factors impacting upon cities in the period between the wars. The increasing value of inner city property, suburbanisation and changing residential patterns within cities facilitated the construction of dwellings designed for higher density living than that of the family home. The greater South Brisbane region contains a number of these apartment blocks as well as nineteenth century residences that were divided into flats during the 1930s.
In the 1920s, this section of Melbourne Street contained a number of small grocery shops.
South Brisbane City Council resumed the whole of this property in 1925 for road widening. The land was vested in the Brisbane City Council in 1926 upon the creation of Greater Brisbane and in 1932, just over 15 ½ perches was transferred to Horace Sanham Jnr. Directories and Brisbane City Council building records indicate that ‘Corio’ was built in 1940. It was designed by the architects Chambers and Ford and constructed by the Horace Sanham at a cost of £5,500. The property remains in the Sanham family.
Description
‘Corio’ is a block of three storey 1930s flats incorporating glass blocks into a modernist influenced façade design. The entry is to the left in a recessed portion of the façade and consists of a flight of stairs leading to a pair of french doors with a panel of glass blocks on their left and a flat cantilevered awning above. Over the awning is an encased row of seven glass blocks the central five have individual lettering spelling the name ‘Corio’.
The two levels above the entry each have a single tall, narrow timber framed window with a small cantilevered sun hood. The remainder of the façade is set forward and beside the entry semi-enclosed balconies project further out again. These are on each of the three levels and have a six by six panel of glass blocks at their left-hand edge above balustrade height. The remainder of each balcony continues with glass louvres, and they turn to meet the façade again at an angle. The right hand side of the façade has three levels of wider openings consisting of three levels of casements topped by individual cantilevered sun-hoods. The parapet has a subtle cornice line incorporating shallow recesses this is reflected on the top and the projecting wall at the far right that stops at first floor level. The rear of the building is of face brick with rendered lintels and sills and has pitched corrugated iron roofs and sun hoods. Timber escape stairs are situated to one side.
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 & Sewerage Detail Plans
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Department of Natural Resources, Queensland Certificates of title and other records.
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Environmental Protection Agency
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JOL Estate Map Collection and photographic collection
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Lawson, Ronald Brisbane in the 1890s: A Study of an Australian Urban Society. St Lucia U of Q Press, 1973
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McKellar's Map of Brisbane and Suburbs. Brisbane: Surveyor-General’s Office, 1895
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Donald Watson and Judith McKay, Queensland Architects of the Nineteenth Century, South Brisbane: Queensland Museum, 1994
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)