Kinkabool, Heritage residential building in Surfers Paradise, Australia
Kinkabool is a ten-storey apartment block at 32–34 Hanlan Street in Surfers Paradise, designed by John M. Morton of Lund Hutton Newell Black & Paulsen and built in 1959–1960 by J D Booker Constructions. Its reinforced concrete frame and north-facing sun decks made it the first high-rise on the Gold Coast.
Built between 1959 and 1960, this structure marked a turning point as the first high-rise apartment building on the Gold Coast. It signaled the beginning of vertical development in a region previously characterized by low-rise construction.
Kinkabool was the idea of Melbourne entrepreneur Stanley Korman, whose Gold Coast projects also included Lennon's Hotel at Broadbeach, the Chevron Hotel and Paradise Island. The block's name and its flats for visitors arriving by plane or coach belong to the late 1950s push to remake Surfers Paradise as an international resort.
The building is centrally located in Surfers Paradise and easy to reach on foot. Visitors can appreciate the exterior and public-facing areas, though the interior spaces are private residences.
The interior spaces retain characteristic 1960s details including maple wood stairs and foyers with terrazzo floors and mosaic tiles. These crafted elements remain uncommon to find in preserved condition and offer insight into the quality finishes of that period.
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