Brisbane’s LNP Council have announced their intention to seek a private operator to refurbish and operate the historic School of Arts building on 166 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City.
LNP Councillor for Central Ward and Chair for Community and the Arts, Cr. Vicki Howard, told Council that “from the beginning of next year, Council will seek proposals from organisations willing to partner with us to restore and repurpose the Brisbane School of Arts Building.
“It is time to have a conversation about what we can do with this building, and we think that there are people out there better placed than us to come up with ideas about the future of this grand, old dame.”
Earlier this year, Council announced a similar plan to outsource Riverstage to the private sector.
In response, the Brisbane Labor Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy, released a short but scathing statement against the proposal.
“Brisbane’s historic School of Arts building is now at real risk of being privatised by Brisbane’s LNP Council. It’s been 6 years since the LNP announced they would restore the School of Arts. Little did we know this broken promise would lead to the sale of one of the City’s most iconic historic buildings.”
“I knew Council’s finances were in a dire state, but I never thought they would need to target the School of Arts.”
“What’s next? There isn’t much left.”
In 2018, Labor secured a $9.5 million restoration package in the annual budget after running a campaign on heritage sites being sold off to private developers. However, the LNP administration has deferred the restoration for the past 6 years.
Originally built as accommodation for servants in 1864, the building has served many roles in Brisbane’s history. It officially opened as the Brisbane School of Arts in 1878.
It later received a library extension in 1908, shops in 1937 and an upper story added in 1955. Council took ownership of the building in the 1966, operating as a public library until 1981 when it was closed for a major refurbishment.
However, the refurbishment focused on protecting its heritage value instead of the structural and safety issues with the building. The building was closed in the early 2000s.
