The Old Museum Building stands at 480 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills. Brisbane City Council’s heritage page also lists it as the Exhibition Building (former) and Concert Hall (former). The council gives the date of entry on the Queensland Heritage Register as 21 October 1992. The register details below come from an archived capture of the entry made on 24 November 2025, and that capture says the page was last updated on 22 April 2025.
An acclimatisation garden before the hall
In the archived Queensland Heritage Register entry, the Acclimatisation Society of Queensland was among the first to use the site, in 1863. The Society built an office, boardroom, bush-house and glasshouse, and had an orchard and gardens. Brisbane’s first Exhibition Building opened at the junction of Gregory Terrace and Bowen Bridge Road on 22 August 1876. When the timber building was destroyed by fire in June 1888, a competition was immediately organised to design a more permanent Exhibition Building on the same site.
Design and construction in 1891
In the archived Register entry, the building was designed and built as an exhibition hall in 1891 and then converted to a museum. The original design competition was won by the architect GHM Addison. The foundation stone was laid on 25 April 1891. The State Library blog says Acting Governor Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer was given the honour of laying it in front of a large crowd, and that a bottle holding a copy of each leading Brisbane journal was placed in the cavity beneath the stone. The building was completed by August of the same year. The T-shaped design held an exhibition hall, a concert hall and a basement dining room. The council classes the period as Federation, 1890 to 1914.
The Register notes that the walls are built in contrasting bands of red and cream brickwork. Externally the building exhibits many characteristics of the Romanesque architectural style. It is basically a single storied structure containing a mezzanine and basement level. The Register describes the grounds as essentially retaining the character and layout they had when first developed. The building sits near the corner of a 1.5 hectare site at Bowen Bridge Road and Gregory Terrace.
Liquidation, the 1899 move and the museum years
In the archived Register entry, the Association went into liquidation in 1897 and the government took over ownership of the building. Tenders for altering the Exhibition Hall into a museum were called in March 1899.
A State Library of Queensland blog post dated 30 April 2016 says the Queensland Museum occupied the building from 1899 to 1986, before moving to South Bank. The Register says the museum remained in the building until 1987. The two sources give different end years, 1986 and 1987, so this guide reports both rather than choosing one.
In 1900 the Brisbane City Council leased the hall from the government and organised regular concerts and civic functions. In 1930 the council vacated the Concert Hall, and the space was converted to an art gallery. The Register says the space was occupied until 1974.
Heritage listing and recent use
In the archived Register entry, the building is described as one of only two exhibition buildings built during the nineteenth century still standing in Australia, as at its last update on 22 April 2025. The hall has an association with the development of the Queensland Art Gallery.
As at 30 April 2016, a State Library blog post said Queensland Youth Orchestras called the Old Museum home. As at the archived capture of 24 November 2025, the Register says the building has been the temporary home of the Queensland Youth Orchestra since the museum left.
This guide does not list opening times, fees or bookings for the building, which change, so check current venue information before planning a visit.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Old Museum Building?
The council heritage page gives the address as 480 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills.
When was the Old Museum Building entered on the Queensland Heritage Register?
The council page gives 21 October 1992.
Who designed the building?
The Register says the original design competition was won by the architect GHM Addison.
When was the foundation stone laid?
The Register and a State Library blog post both give 25 April 1891.
When did the Queensland Museum leave the building?
The sources differ: the State Library blog gives 1986 and the archived Register entry gives 1987.
