Addresses
Type of place
Bank
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Mediterranean
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Commonwealth Bank (former)
Commonwealth Bank (former)
Addresses
Type of place
Bank
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
Style
Mediterranean
The first Commonwealth Bank in Albion opened in rented premises in 1921. The bank had acquired land in Sandgate Road and erected this building circa 1928-29. Designed in the Interwar Mediterranean style, the bank was extended during the 1970s. The Sandgate Rd Commonwealth Bank closed in 1999 but remains in use as commercial premises.
Also known as
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Lot plan
L1_RP46294
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Masonry
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
Also known as
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Lot plan
L1_RP46294
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Masonry
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
History
By the late 1880s and early 1890s Albion was one of a number of prosperous suburban centres that had arisen in response to the expansion of Brisbane from its former small city core. During the 1880s mass migration brought about a large increase in Brisbane’s population. The northern commuter rail line between Roma Street and Sandgate had opened on 10 May 1882, with regular services beginning the following day. By 1892 Albion was served by 29 daily trains to the city. The tram line opened in 1899 to link Albion with Clayfield and the city (via Breakfast Creek and Newstead), increasing the through traffic in Albion and rendering the shops and other services more accessible for residents in neighbouring suburbs.
The interwar years saw the expansion or renovation of many of the commercial buildings in Albion, and the construction of a number of new blocks housing multiple shops. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia was one of the new buildings erected during this period.
In February 1919 the Queensland Government Savings Bank bought an 18 perch block here from Robert Bertwhistle.
- Commonwealth Bank closed on February 26 1999 after almost 80 years
- Opened January 3 1921
- Conducted savings bank business until June that year when it was converted into a full branch
- In December 1928 the bank bought land in Sandgate road and erected a new premises
- Minor renovations carried out in 1971 and major extensions in 1977 but the original façade still remains intact
- Interwar Mediterranean
The Queensland Government Savings Bank, intended to encourage small deposit saving by working people, was established by one of the earliest pieces of legislation enacted by the government of the new colony of Queensland in 1861. In 1864, the Government Savings Bank Bill provided a government guarantee to protect trustees and deposits and to allow depositors to easily transfer accounts from one town to another. It was a great success.
The federal government’s Commonwealth Bank Act of 1911 established Australia’s first bank empowered to conduct both savings and trading bank business, with the
security of a federal government guarantee. On 16 September 1912 the Savings Bank Department of the Commonwealth Bank commenced business in Queensland. In December 1920 the Queensland Government Savings Bank was absorbed by the Commonwealth Government Savings Bank and the assets transferred. Ownership of this land was transferred from the Queensland Government Savings Bank to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in April 1921.
The wartime rationalisation of bank branches in Australia temporarily closed numerous banks - was this one of them?? The Commonwealth Bank of Australia was founded under the Commonwealth Bank Act of 1911. This empowered the Bank to transact both savings and trading business under the security of a guarantee from the Federal government.
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
-
Brisbane City Council Building Registers & Building Cards
-
Brisbane City Council Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Detail Plan 257, 1923
-
Brisbane City Council Minutes of Proceedings
-
Certificates of Title, Department of Natural Resources and Water
-
Kerr, John 1988, Brunswick Street, Bowen Hills and Beyond: The Railways of the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane, Australian Railway Historical Society
-
Lawson, Ronald Brisbane in the 1890s: A Study of an Australian Urban Society. St Lucia U of Q Press, 1973
-
McKellar's Map of Brisbane and Suburbs. Brisbane: Surveyor-General’s Office, 1895
-
Nundah & District Historical Society files
-
Queensland Pioneers Index 1829-1889, Qld Registrar-General, March 2000
-
Queensland Post Office Directories, 1887-1949
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)