COORPAROO SCHOOL OF ARTS AND MEMORIAL HALL

The Coorparoo School of Arts and RSL Memorial Hall was constructed in 1892 for the Coorparoo Shire Council. The Council remained in the building until October 1925, when amalgamation of local governments occurred and Greater Brisbane was created. Since 1925, it has been used as a School of Arts.

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The Divisional Boards Act 1879 established 74 local authorities in Queensland with Coorparoo administered as Subdivision 3 of the Bulimba Divisional Board. Primary concerns of the board included the maintenance and improvement of roads and bridges, the Bulimba ferry and water supply to river villages. In 1888 Coorparoo was represented on the Bulimba Divisional Board by Frederick Thomas Brentnall, Frederick Wecker and John Douglas. These men, along with other Coorparoo residents, claimed that more could be accomplished for the locality. They resigned from the Board and led demands for the creation of the Coorparoo Shire. The Shire of Coorparoo was proclaimed on 27 October 1888.

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By 1892 the Councillors decided that a Shire Hall was a necessity. Two allotments on the corner of Cavendish Road and Council (now Halstead) streets were purchased. Henry Wallace Atkinson, a local architect, designed the Hall and it was built by a Mr Allibone at a cost of £514, plus £78 for architect's fees and £14 for seating. The Council moved in on 7 October 1892.

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Constructed with gas fittings for six lamps, the Hall was the first gas lit building in the Shire, further, the first telephone in the district was installed on 1 November 1892. The Hall was hired out as a social club and played an important role in the social life of the district. The Roll of Honour was unveiled by James Stodart, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Logan on 24 June 1916. The honour board is dedicated to the men and women of the District who served in the World War I.

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With the amalgamation of local government authorities and the establishment of Greater Brisbane in 1925, a new use was sought for the shire hall. Local residents organised to form a School of Arts committee and, in 1928, the Trustees of the School of Arts contracted to pay the Greater Brisbane City Council £1000.

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In 1930 the Trustees accepted the offer of the Avondale Lodge to build a side verandah on the north-west elevation. The Trustees paid £200 for the fabric. The new wing was officially opened by Trustee and politician Reginald King, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Logan on 19 July 1930. In 1938, the stage was removed providing more space in the Hall and a small stage was constructed at the rear.

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In 1946, the Brisbane City Council began asking for payment of £750 which was owing on the purchase price of the hall, the alternative was to hand in the Hall's keys. Revenue was raised through a variety of activities, including renting the hall to the Coorparoo Kindergarten, and by 1948 the fund stood at over £550. It was also at this time that the Coorparoo RSL suggested that they take over the Hall and its debts. Solicitor King drew up a new constitution for the two groups and in April 1956, the Minister of Public Lands and Crown Law Office approved the amalgamation and constitution. The Hall was subsequently renamed the Coorparoo School of Arts and RSL Memorial Hall.

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The brick and stucco additions as the front of the Hall were initially rejected at a meeting of the School of Arts committee in December 1951, however, by July 1953, the Trustees' honorary architect, Eric Percival Trewern, had drawn up plans and specifications and called for tenders. Builder AA Lock's tender for £777 was accepted.

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Coorparoo School of Arts and RSL Memorial Hall continues to be used extensively by the community.