United Service Club Premises, Heritage-listed clubhouse in Spring Hill, Brisbane, Australia
The United Service Club Premises comprises two buildings on Wickham Terrace: Montpelier, a three-storey masonry structure built c. 1910 on the site of an 1864 brick villa, and the Green House, a timber building erected c. 1907. Both were designed by architect Claude William Chambers. Wide verandahs facing the city were later enclosed on the two upper levels of Montpelier.
The original Montpelier, a two-storey brick villa designed by Benjamin Backhouse, was built in 1864 and soon became a lodging house. It was replaced around 1910 by the present three-storey masonry Montpelier, designed by Claude William Chambers, while the timber Green House went up in 1907. Both served as boarding houses until the United Service Club, founded in 1892, bought the site in 1946 and moved in during 1947.
The name Montpelier carried over from the 1864 villa to its c. 1910 masonry replacement on the same Wickham Terrace site. From 1888 to 1892 Lady Musgrave Lodge, founded by the governor's wife, housed young women here; later the leased rooms ran as an exclusive private gentlemen's hotel requiring references.
The buildings are centrally located in Brisbane with convenient public transport connections, including tram access. Visitors should check in advance whether areas are open to the public, as some spaces may be reserved for members only.
During World War II, Montpelier housed military officers, including Colonel Johnston, who served as General Douglas MacArthur's personal physician. This connection to American military history gave the building significance during the war years.
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