Customs House (Brisbane)

The Customs House ( until 1901 Custom House ) is a building in the Australian city of Brisbane, situated on Queen Street, one of the main streets of the city, and on the Brisbane River. Originally the building was used as a customs authority.

History

Early history

From about 1884, the Port of Brisbane grew rapidly, so that the city council decided that Petrie Bight called customs building by a larger to replace the Customs House. After, designed by Charles McLay new building was completed and opened after three years of construction in 1889, 38 346 pounds were consumed.

Built in the Victorian style building is considered the first authority in Australia, which had its own coat of arms.

Today's time and recent past

After several major port companies had settled around the city's harbor area, the building became redundant over time, so it was closed in 1988. After its closure the building was immediately hired by the University of Queensland and renovated from 1991 to 1994 for 7.5 million Australian dollars.

Today there is a restaurant and an event center in the building. The " Long Room ," in which at the time the transactions were carried out, is mainly used for readings and as a restaurant.