T & G Building, Brisbane

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The T & G Building is a notable office tower in Brisbane, located at the corner of Queen Street and Albert Street. It was built in 1924 for the T & G (Temperance and General) Mutual Life Assurance Society, which began in Victoria in 1876 and grew to be the largest life-insurance society in Australia and New Zealand by 1930. In the mid-1920s, T&G started building landmark offices in many cities, and Brisbane’s was the first. It was designed by the Melbourne firm A & K Henderson in a modern classical style that remained popular into the 1930s. In 1936, a ninth mansard level was added, also by A & K Henderson.

During World War II, the building was occupied by the Australian Army from February 20, 1943, to December 31, 1944. The tenants, led by Dr Streeter, protested the occupation and formed a committee to submit their protest to the Federal Government. Lieutenant Robert Melloy agreed to help if the tenants would vacate, and after the protest was submitted, orders came to take over the building two hours later. Dr Streeter was among the first to leave. The building then served as the Headquarters for the US Army Forces in the Far East.

In 1969, the original building was replaced with a modern 25-storey office tower, which was Brisbane’s tallest building at the time. Today, the building houses a range of businesses, including a doctors’ surgery, a hairdresser, a watch repairer, and a taxation accountant. There is also an arcade at ground level.