Barry and Roberts Building, York Hotel, Hotel Carlton & Telegraph Building

In Queen Street, a row of building facades, two dating from the nineteenth century and two dating from the early twentieth century, were earmarked for preservation. Two adjoining facades were from the Hotel Carlton (1891) and The Telegraph Building (built 1891), were retained. The next few buildings were to be demolished until the York Hotel (1929) was reached and preserved. Another building was to be demolished until the end of the Myer Centre was reached where another early twentieth century building façade would be retained. The Barry & Roberts Building (1921) façade became the bookend marker for the Myer Centre. The Queen Street Mall was opened on 9 August 1982. 

The retention of these four building facades within a single project is a major example of an early approach to heritage protection. This approach focused on retaining the exterior appearance and elevational profile of an old building rather than preserving the entire building. This early approach to heritage protection became known colloquially as ‘facadism’. In contrast, the current approach is to retain as much of an old building as possible as it is both the interior spaces as well as the exterior and its setting that tell the full heritage story. 

Other facades remaining from this era are the RS Exton & Co Building at 333 Ann Street, the John Reid and Nephews Building at 26-36 Charlotte Street; Pan Australia House at 120 Charlotte Street; the Walter Reid Building at 163 Charlotte Street, the Queensland Country Life Building at 424-426 Queen Street and the Valley Baths at 408-424 Wickham Street. This approach was not the predominant approach however. In addition to the demolition of the Belleview Hotel in 1979, 1982 saw the complete demolition of ‘Cloudland’ at Bowen Hills triggering a groundswell of support for the retention of Brisbane’s heritage.

Following a change in government, the Queensland Heritage Act created the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992, protecting sites which had initially been identified by the National Trust. Heritage protection provisions were written into the revised 1987 Brisbane Town Plan. Heritage protection became more formalised in the Brisbane City Council City Plan Heritage Register Planning Scheme Policy created in the City Plan in 2000.