Westpac Bank Building, Townsville, Banking heritage site in Townsville, Australia.
The Westpac Bank Building at 337–343 Flinders Street is a two-storey masonry bank with a smaller attic storey, built of reinforced concrete with brick veneer and cement render. Its street facades have giant Tuscan order colonnades on a raised base, an entablature and a parapet with a central cartouche and balusters. Automatic aluminium doors have replaced the original bronze doors, and the ground-floor banking chamber has been refurbished.
The building was constructed in 1935 following designs by Hall and Cook, built by Stuart Brothers from Sydney. Its completion marked the confidence in Townsville's economic growth during that period.
The bank's name appears in the frieze of the Flinders Street facade, flanked by circular motifs, above Tuscan columns. The ground-floor banking chamber has been refurbished, so the original north Queensland maple panelled wainscots and counters are no longer on view. The upper floors are reached by a terrazzo dogleg staircase with a timber handrail and decorative iron balustrade.
The building sits in central Townsville and is easily reached on foot. The ground floor still operates as a bank, while the upper levels house office spaces.
The building was designed for North Queensland's tropical climate with specialized ventilation systems integrated into its classical design. These cross-ventilation features helped keep the interior cool before modern air conditioning existed.
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