‘Global city’: Corner pub set to become new Brisbane landmark

The heritage-listed Stock Exchange Hotel and F.H. Faulding Warehouse would be transformed into a two-storey wine bar, upmarket retail spaces and the lobby for a new 39-storey office building under the latest plan to revitalise the Brisbane CBD.

The striking proposal for Brisbane Place would see a “landmark building” rise above the corner pub, and continue the commercial gentrification of Edward Street, capitalising on the nearby Waterfront Brisbane project and Kangaroo Point Bridge.

The development application submitted to Brisbane City Council on Monday includes a masterplan for the Cathedral Precinct between Edward, Charlotte and Elizabeth streets, that proponents say will protect the heritage-listed buildings and churches and better integrate the block into the CBD.

Renders of Brisbane Place, a commercial tower proposed for the Stock Exchange Hotel site in the CBD.

A new laneway would help connect the site, with a revitalised civic plaza and amphitheatre to host public events next to St Stephen’s Cathedral. The yarning circle would be demolished, a frangipani tree relocated, and old cathedral bell and pedestrian gates put into storage.

Tower workers and guests would have access to a rooftop sky garden, while there would also be a balcony terrace above the heritage buildings. The tower will hang over heritage-listed Catholic Centre (also known as the Edward Dunlops Building at Penola Place), which will have a new pedestrian pathway at ground level.

The project team is led by JGL Properties, previously responsible for the Jubilee Hotel redevelopment in Fortitude Valley, and includes architects Blight Rayner and planner Urbis.

They say Brisbane Place will “contribute to the promotion of Brisbane as a global city”.

The Brisbane Place project is led by JGL Properties, previously responsible for the Jubilee Hotel redevelopment in Fortitude Valley.

“The tower is intentionally narrowed and sculpted to create a refined and lighter architectural expression that visually recedes from the heritage fabric below,” the council has been told.

“This deliberate reduction in mass allows for greater access to light, air and unobstructed views around the heritage buildings, reinforcing their prominence within the streetscape.

“The elevated tower structure carefully preserves key view corridors toward St Stephen’s Cathedral while establishing new physical and visual connections between Edward Street, Charlotte Street and Mercy House.”

The Edward Street frontage would include retail spaces and a two-storey wine bar.

The site is owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, which has consented to the development application being lodged. The hotel, formerly known as the Exchange Hotel, was closed for a period of time, while the Victory Hotel opposite is set for a facelift.

According to the plans, the new tower will be constructed around the building on Charlotte Street that currently houses the Queensland Holocaust Museum.

It will link to the existing underground Cathedral Carpark, to utilise 54 parking spaces, and provide 262 bicycle spaces. The proponents suggest there is “modest provision of car spaces to encourage active and public transport”.

The timeframe for the development remains unclear – the documents refer to growing demand for A-grade office space in the CBD – and it is likely to cost billions of dollars.

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