Maryborough City Hall

Maryborough’s first town hall was an 1874 timber building, located adjacent to the School of Arts and often disparagingly spoken about by the residents. Fortune smiled on the town when local philanthropist George Ambrose White donated 10,000 pounds to the Maryborough Council to build a new town hall on the condition that he received an annuity of 5%. Work began on site preparation in 1906, with the removal of police and justice buildings. Architect Robin Dods designed the new town hall which included a 900 seat auditorium, council offices and chambers. The imposing red brick structure is dominated by the large central pedimented portico supported by six two storeyed Doric columns. Changes have been made to the building since its opening in 1908: the entrance stairs were altered, honour rolls added in 1918, a clock-tower added, a fly-tower and auditorium enlargement in 1935, a single storeyed extension on the western side in 1948, and a second storey added in 1978. Although Maryborough was proclaimed a city in 1905, the words TOWN HALL above the entrance were not changed to CITY HALL until 1964. Reconstruction and restoration works were undertaken in 1990 following a serious fire which substantially damaged the interior.