PT12-20/21 Soldiers Memorial Hall Refurbishment

Summary and scope

The Toowoomba Soldier’s Memorial Hall located at 547 Ruthven Street, is a state listed building which has a significant history with some unique ownership and tenancy challenges. Council own the building, but it was built primarily for the returned soldiers and as a community facility. It was built in a number of stages the most recent of which is a Dance Hall on the rear (west) end of the building, which is also the least significant part of the building architecturally and potentially culturally. The Soldier’s Memorial Hall is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. The reasons for its significance are as follows: • As a war memorial, it demonstrates the pattern of Queensland history; • Few other halls built for this purpose are as large or elaborate; • It demonstrates the key characteristics of both RSL buildings and dance halls of the period; • It makes an important contribution to the Ruthven Street streetscape; and • It has a special association with the RSL and other related organisations, as well as the wider community through its use as a venue for dances. Today, the condition of the building is variable, the basic structure is largely sound, but significant effort is required to bring finishes and services back to a satisfactory standard for any permanent use. This stage of the project incorporates the following extent of works: • the full renovation of the original Memorial building (east portion); • Replacement and rectification of Dance Hall roof; • integration of a lift / vertical circulation; and • access, amenity and ancillary upgrades.