Palings music mecca given new lease on life
AHS assisted with a range of conservation works, including the ornate plaster ceilings, for the former Palings Building in Brisbane's CBD, breathing new life into the well-known 1885 building that sat vacant for many years.
Australian Heritage Specialists (AHS) was commissioned by CBRE to provide ongoing supervision and assist in a range of conservation works at the former Palings Building at 86 Queens Street, Brisbane City, including the restoration of ornate plaster and pressed metal ceilings.
The Palings Building was built back in 1885 by contractors Patten and Son, and it was designed by well-known Brisbane architect Richard Gailey. It was one of four identical office and shop buildings, all constructed adjacent to the old Brisbane Town Hall in Queen Street, occupied by WH Paling & Co, JS Manwaring and Dr Power. Incredibly, the row of buildings cost an estimated £13,000 to build!
The four buildings occupied a combined frontage of 40 feet and were constructed of brick with stone foundations, each with three floors and a basement level. The facade is decorated in an Italian style, with asymmetrical rusticated pilasters separating each bay. Large archways contain ornamental keystones and ornamental panels, with floral mouldings beside the arches.
At street level the building featured plate glass, supported by ornamental iron columns, and the entrances to the buildings were recessed and paved in marble.
Two of the four buildings have since been demolished, with the third incorporated into another site. The former Palings Building still stands tall and was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992, when it was occupied by the City International Duty-Free store.
The man behind WH Paling and Co
The namesake of the former Palings Building, William Henry Paling, was a Dutch musician who emigrated to Australia in 1853 with a dream.
Mr Paling quickly established himself within the Sydney music scene, also founding WH Paling & Co, within a year of arriving in Australia.
In his early business days, Mr Paling tutored the violin, piano, composed music and performed around Sydney, while also operating a music store in Wynyard Square that sold instruments and sheet music.
By the 1880s, Mr Paling was heavily involved in local government and charity work, famously donating money and land to establish the Carrington Hospital. He went on to become one of Sydney’s foremost businessmen and philanthropists, before passing away in 1895.
For nearly a century, WH Paling & Co was a leading seller of records, sheet music and instruments, offering the largest range of band and orchestral instruments in Queensland.
The Queen Street store, located at the former Palings Building, offered recitals until the 1930s and tutoring until the 1940s.
WH Paling & Co continued to expand, establishing stores in Newcastle, Lismore, Townsville, Rockhampton and Toowoomba alongside various agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The Brisbane CBD Palings store survived until the 1980s, when it sadly closed.
Henry William Paling (The Queenslander 1922:15)
Intricate plaster ceilings
We discovered that the interior of the building is largely intact and retains intricate details like plastered and pressed metal ceilings, internal staircases, and a timber passenger lift.
While the plaster ceilings are retained on the first and second levels, they have deteriorated over time. The decorative ceilings on the first floor feature repeated square motif panels, spanning the length of the floor. The cornices are also decorated in a repeating motif.
The second floor is decorated with a repeated plaster pattern, more simple in nature, and decorative cornicing is also present. Like the lower level, damage is present and the plaster requires repairs.
These decorative plaster ceilings are a prominent feature of the building and require careful restoration. We knew just the man for the job, too…
The Power, Palings and Manwaring buildings, c.1888 (East 2020:124).
Roof restoration guru
McMillan Heritage Plastering, operated by master craftsman Scott McMillan, undertakes lime and ornamental plastering using traditional materials and methods.
Mr McMillan has assisted with the restoration of many of Queensland’s wonderful heritage places, including the recently completed Lamb House project in Kangaroo Point.
For much of his career, Mr McMillan worked on projects on behalf of Historic Scotland, until he was approached to bring his unique skillset to Australia. He was originally trained through one of the most reputable traditional plastering companies in the United Kingdom and is a master ornamental plasterer with an advanced craft certificate in cornice restoration.
The former Palings Building is in safe hands.
New lease on life
The former Palings Building is an important landmark within the Brisbane CBD, and the refurbishment of its ceilings is just the beginning of its future use as a commercial site.
AHS are leaders when it comes to the management of heritage places and develop a range of reporting requirements and overall guidance for heritage sites like this one. It’s all in a day’s work for our highly experienced team of heritage consultants and archaeologists.
Contact us
To discover how we may be able to assist on your next project, contact us today here or phone (07) 3221 0000. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn.
Scott McMillan at work
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The Challenge
The namesake of the former Palings Building, William Henry Paling, was a Dutch musician who emigrated to Australia in 1853 with a dream.
Mr Paling quickly established himself within the Sydney music scene, also founding WH Paling & Co, within a year of arriving in Australia.
In his early business days, Mr Paling tutored the violin, piano, composed music and performed around Sydney, while also operating a music store in Wynyard Square that sold instruments and sheet music.
By the 1880s, Mr Paling was heavily involved in local government and charity work, famously donating money and land to establish the Carrington Hospital. He went on to become one of Sydney’s foremost businessmen and philanthropists, before passing away in 1895.
For nearly a century, WH Paling & Co was a leading seller of records, sheet music and instruments, offering the largest range of band and orchestral instruments in Queensland.
The Queen Street store, located at the former Palings Building, offered recitals until the 1930s and tutoring until the 1940s.
WH Paling & Co continued to expand, establishing stores in Newcastle, Lismore, Townsville, Rockhampton and Toowoomba alongside various agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The Brisbane CBD Palings store survived until the 1980s, when it sadly closed.
How we helped
We discovered that the interior of the building is largely intact and retains intricate details like plastered and pressed metal ceilings, internal staircases, and a timber passenger lift.
While the plaster ceilings are retained on the first and second levels, they have deteriorated over time. The decorative ceilings on the first floor feature repeated square motif panels, spanning the length of the floor. The cornices are also decorated in a repeating motif.
The second floor is decorated with a repeated plaster pattern, more simple in nature, and decorative cornicing is also present. Like the lower level, damage is present and the plaster requires repairs.
These decorative plaster ceilings are a prominent feature of the building and require careful restoration. We knew just the man for the job, too…
Results
McMillan Heritage Plastering, operated by master craftsman Scott McMillan, undertakes lime and ornamental plastering using traditional materials and methods.
Mr McMillan has assisted with the restoration of many of Queensland’s wonderful heritage places, including the recently completed Lamb House project in Kangaroo Point.
For much of his career, Mr McMillan worked on projects on behalf of Historic Scotland, until he was approached to bring his unique skillset to Australia. He was originally trained through one of the most reputable traditional plastering companies in the United Kingdom and is a master ornamental plasterer with an advanced craft certificate in cornice restoration.
The former Palings Building is in safe hands.
New lease on life
The former Palings Building is an important landmark within the Brisbane CBD, and the refurbishment of its ceilings is just the beginning of its future use as a commercial site.
AHS are leaders when it comes to the management of heritage places and develop a range of reporting requirements and overall guidance for heritage sites like this one. It’s all in a day’s work for our highly experienced team of heritage consultants and archaeologists.
Contact us
To discover how we may be able to assist on your next project, contact us today here or phone (07) 3221 0000. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn.
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