Finney Isles & Co Building, Heritage-listed department store building in Queen Street, Brisbane, Australia
The Finney Isles & Co Building is a heritage-listed retail building on Queen Street that spans multiple sections with varying facade treatments. The structure extends six storeys on Queen Street and three on Adelaide Street, with original silky oak staircases and decorative lift wells inside.
The building was completed in 1910 and represented one of Queensland's first uses of reinforced concrete construction techniques in commercial architecture. This method was groundbreaking for commercial structures in the region at that time.
The facade displays Art Deco features with decorative rosettes and broad arched windows that reflect how retail buildings evolved in early twentieth-century Australia. These details show the shift in design tastes and craftsmanship during that period.
Modern shopfronts occupy both street-facing facades, while original wood details and decorative elements remain inside. Visitors should come early to explore the interior architectural details fully, as shops operate during business hours.
The building was equipped with advanced features including a pneumatic cash exchange system for secure transactions and a rooftop water tank for storage. These systems show how important efficiency and safety were for retail operations in that era.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
