Allan and Stark Building, Heritage building in Brisbane, Australia

The Allan and Stark Building is a three to four-story brick complex on Queen Street in Brisbane, featuring classical arches, pilasters, and ornamental cornices across its facades. Inside, it preserves original details such as timber joists and pressed metal ceilings that show construction methods from different periods.

The row grew from separate buildings erected between 1881 and the early 1920s, after a government decision to demolish the convict barracks and sell the Crown land opened the north side of Queen Street to commercial redevelopment. The 1881 building on allotment 8 was designed by Andrea Stombuco for solicitors Browne and Ruthning and bought by Allan and Stark in 1914. The firm, founded in South Brisbane in 1882, leased part of the site from 1899 and acquired the properties over 65 years. Myer bought the complex in 1970 and traded there until 1988.

The building shows how wealthy business owners expressed their success through architecture in the late 1800s: tall facades and decorative details signaled prosperity and ambition to passing customers. Queen Street was the commercial heart of Brisbane at the time, and such grand storefronts competed to impress shoppers and establish credibility.

The complex runs along the northern side of Queen Street between Albert Street and Brisbane City Hall, with a cantilevered street awning sheltering the whole ground-level frontage. The interior has been substantially altered and is not open for sightseeing, so the facade is what you view, from the footpath. Look up at the upper storeys for the arched bays and the initials "M" and "P" on the southern section's keystones.

The building was constructed over multiple decades, yet the architects managed to maintain visual unity across the different phases - you can spot the various construction periods in subtle details if you look closely. This reflects skilled craftsmanship in adapting and expanding the complex while keeping it coherent.