Reviewed by Wendy Lipke
For all those who obtained degrees through The University of Queensland, Mayne Hall will be familiar to you. Peter Roennfeldt, an alumnus of the University of Queensland and Emeritus Professor at Griffith University, has provided a detailed account of Mayne Hall from its first ideas to the years where it fulfilled its role as A Hall for All and on to its repurposing. As it says in the Afterword, ‘the gestation period for UQ’s Great Hall was long, often tortuous, and not without controversy. The determination by decision-makers to persist with the project was, in retrospect, well aligned with the times in the sense that UQ saw itself as lagging behind its peer institutions’ (156).
This is an academic piece of work and as such I find the smaller font size and long paragraphs make the pages look crammed with words. However, I must admit, that the many pictures and sub- headings do help to reduce this problem on most pages. There are five chapters, a Foreword, Preface, and Afterword which provide the history from the 1960s through to the present day of this well-known landmark.
Each chapter highlights the purpose of this building at that specific time, first as an academic and ceremonial facility, then a concert hall for the University, a concert hall for Brisbane, a community venue and now as a vibrant art museum. This book celebrates a modern building which is located on the wide expanse of lawn in front of part of the beautiful sandstone structure that is the Forgan Smith Building. It remains an important piece of Queensland’s cultural heritage. The author tells the reader that although cultural memory is closely linked to artifacts and memorabilia, what lives on in the minds of those present is something less tangible but an essential aspect of human existence (166).
The title of the book – A Hall for All – is a direct quote from Vice-Chancellor Sir Fred Schonell, during the launch of the Jubilee Appeal Fund in 1960. He put forward a wide range of aspirations and functions that this building could fulfill linking the university to the wider community, between ‘town and gown’.
In the Foreword, Deborah Terry AO, Vice-chancellor and President, acknowledges the many architecturally significant buildings that make up The University of Queensland adding that they do not evoke the same emotional response as does Mayne Hall. From the 1970s through to the 1990s, Mayne Hall has been the heart of the University’s cultural life.
The architects involved set out to design a great hall, not necessarily the same as other university great halls, but one that was beautiful, and practical which would create a bond between the university and the community. The story of free speech is reflected in the glass wall that suffered during a protest in 1985 against the then premier Joh Bjelke Peterson.
It was interesting to read of the many different groups, apart from the university, which used this venue. Its superior acoustics made it an ideal location for professional arts organisations and community-based ensembles. Performances of opera were never intended for this hall yet when the need arose it could accommodate a concert version or semi-staged production. It was frequently used by Queensland Conservatorium during the 1980s. It was a contemporary music venue, with varied success, as well as being a favourite for School Speech nights. Many different International cultural programs, book fairs, religious events, debates and protests also used this venue.
With the building of Queensland’s cultural venues at Southbank, after Expo 88, the emphasis of Mayne Hall moved away from its original purpose and function. Much has changed over the years since this building was constructed. The university system itself has undergone massive changes and heritage legislation, accessibility and workplace safety considerations have been introduced. Many universities now no longer see the need for a main hall. However, for the University of Queensland, this time coincided with a need for finding better accommodation for their paintings and other artworks, being described at the time, as Queensland’s second largest art collection. In 2004 this building reopened with Australia’s first national collection of artists’ self-portraits.
Architect Robin Gibson’s building has been recognised with several significant awards from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. The first came soon after Mayne Hall opened in 1973, and the most recent 30 years later, with others in between.
The story of Mayne Hall at The University of Queensland is a record of a community’s interwoven fabric of diverse activities and relationships (167). While its internal configuration and usage has changed, and the original pipe organ is not as visible as before, the building retains its original external appearance.
An interesting read.
A Hall for All
Celebrating The University of Queensland’s Mayne Hall
(2023)
by Peter Roennfeldt
UQP
ISBN:978-0-7022-6829-8
$39.99; 224pp