Rockhampton Town Hall, Town hall in Rockhampton, Australia
Rockhampton Town Hall is a two-storey face-brick building on a granite plinth at 232 Bolsover Street, with projecting bays, stepped parapets and two-level verandahs on all four symmetrical facades, several of which have been infilled. It stands in the level Town Hall Reserve, planted with Cuban Royal Palms and Traveller's Palms, and houses the town hall and council offices.
A foundation stone was laid in 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, but construction did not begin until Mayor R. Will Evans turned the first sod on 25 February 1939. Built to a design by Hockings & Palmer at a cost of about £50,000, it opened in 1941. From August 1942 it housed General Robert L. Eichelberger and the US Army's 41st Infantry Division.
The building is also known as Rockhampton City Hall and Rockhampton Council Chambers, and since 2015 it has housed the Rockhampton Regional Council's operations. The Town Hall Reserve around it is planted with Cuban Royal Palms and Traveller's Palms among mature trees, and the grounds are mostly level lawns.
The building stands on Bolsover Street in the town center and is accessible by walking through the downtown area. Visitors can view the exterior architecture throughout the day, with the best lighting for appreciating details during morning and early afternoon hours.
From August 1942 the town hall served as headquarters for General Robert L. Eichelberger and the US Army's 41st Infantry Division, and the council placed the city at the disposal of Australian and American army authorities. Edwin Morton Hockings, the building's designer, died in Rockhampton on 21 December 1942, having lived to see his last major work completed.
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