Commercial Bank, Bundaberg, Former bank building in Bundaberg Central, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
The Commercial Bank of Sydney is a two-storeyed rendered brick building on the corner of Bourbong and Maryborough Streets, designed by George Allen Mansfield and built in 1891 in an Italianate style. It has a square plan, wide verandahs on both levels supported by paired cast iron columns with Corinthian capitals, and a hipped slate roof with a centre well. The rear verandahs have been enclosed.
The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney first opened in Bundaberg in June 1872 but closed in October 1873 after the Bank of New South Wales secured most local business. A branch was re-established by 1883, and in 1891 the bank commissioned Sydney architect George Allen Mansfield to design this two-storey brick premises and detached stables. It served as a bank for over a century, became a National Australia Bank branch after the 1981–83 merger, and closed in 1996.
The building demonstrates how a regional town expressed its growing prosperity through architectural grandeur during the 19th century. It served as the visible center where local business and finance came together in daily commercial life.
This site is centrally located in Bundaberg and easy to reach on foot from the town center. You can view the exterior details and sense the building's place within the historic streetscape of the town.
The bank was purpose-built in 1891 with a detached stables building on the same site, a reminder that the manager's residence and horses were part of branch operations. The stables are documented in the Queensland Heritage Register listing of 21 October 1992, but the sources record no lifting mechanism.
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