“Restricted Area” says the sign. We are standing before the John Hines Building. It is home to university laboratories and the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences. But navigating it can be tricky.
The John Hines Building has many entries and restricted areas. But don’t worry. I will guide you. There are three main entry points to the John Hines Building.
For levels three and above use the elevator area. It is in front of the entrance to Building 69 near the Physiol Food Refectory. Level three can also be accessed via the Physiol Theatre. Level two is accessible via Mansfield Place.
Let’s talk about what’s inside the John Hines Building. Level nine is a restricted area. Level eight is also restricted. Level seven is restricted too. The UQ Graduate School is on level six.
Level five houses the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences specifically Plant Sciences. Level four also hosts the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences Plant Sciences. You will find more of the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences Plant Sciences on level three. The Centre for Integrative Legume Research and Entry is on level two. Finally level one is another restricted area.
Now let’s step back in time. Imagine this area around Charlotte Street. It was once known as “Frogs Hollow”. It was roughly bounded by Alice, George, Elizabeth and Edward Streets. Until the late 19th century the area was prone to flooding. It had a dubious reputation due to brothels and opium dens.
But the area was also characterised by residences boarding houses hotels the Chinese Quarter and light industry. From the 1880s onward warehouses and light industry increasingly dominated the area. This was encouraged by the area’s proximity to the city’s busy wharves on the Town Reach of the river.
The John Hines Building itself has a fascinating history. This two-story brick building was constructed around 1911. It was built for Ivor Eliot Peyton. It was used as a light engineering factory and warehouse. John Reid and Nephews a Brisbane company used it from 1911 until 1969. They specialised in wire rope and hardware.
In 1987 the Australian Telecommunications Commission purchased the building. They demolished all but the facade. This made room for the Telstra tower at the rear of the building.
The facade of the former John Reid and Nephews’ building now the John Hines Building is brown face brick. It has shallow brick arches forming window openings. There is a single arch to each bay on the first floor. These arches sit over double arches on the lower story.
The parapet rises in steps to a pair of peaks. It has cement render copings. The company name is in cement lettering. It is in a decorative style above the first-floor windows. The street front’s symmetry is broken. This is due to the slope of the street to form a sub-basement. The entrance at the southern end also breaks the symmetry.
The building was leased to John Reid and Nephews from December 1911 for ten years. It was subsequently leased for another five years. In 1929 David Dickie Reid a partner in John Reid and Nephews purchased the building. The building remained in his possession until his death in 1951. It stayed in the family’s hands until 1973. That is when his heirs sold the property to Access Pty Ltd.
The wire rope and hardware business was sold in 1969. Australian Wire Rope Industries Ltd a subsidiary of BHP bought it. The Australian Telecommunications Commission now Telstra purchased the building in 1987. They demolished all but the facade. This accommodated the Telstra tower behind it.
So the next time you pass by the John Hines Building remember its layers of history. From its early days as a warehouse to its current role. It is a testament to Brisbane’s evolving story.