Parliament House in Brisbane

Parliament House in Brisbane is the home of the Parliament of Queensland, housing the Legislative Assembly. It is situated on the corner of George Street and Alice Street. Parliament House is bordered by the Queensland University of Technology and the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.

When Queensland was established as a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859, its new Parliament met in temporary quarters at the Old Convict Barracks in Queen Street. This facility sufficed whilst the Government of Queensland directed funds for construction of Government House.

In 1886, the building was connected to the Government Printing Office via an underground cable. This provided the building with an electrical supply, the first for any Parliament House in Australia.

In 1863, design plans by Charles Tiffin for a new Parliament House were finally selected from an Australia-wide design competition.

On 14 July 1865 the foundation stone for the building was laid by Sir George Bowen. It was built by Joshua Jeays who used sandstone from his own quarries. Stained glass windows depicting royalty were imported from Birmingham. The first section was completed in 1867. The George Street frontage was completed in 1868 in French Renaissance Revival style, with some Second Empire-style elements. The archways and colonnades facing George Street were built in 1878, and construction on the Alice Street frontage commenced in 1887. The Alice Street wing was completed in 1889.

The original zinc roof was replaced in the 1980s with one constructed from Mount Isa copper.

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