Sketching with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers at The Old Museum

The Old Museum was originally called the Exhibition Building and Concert Hall. It was built in 1891 for the Queensland National Agricultural and Industrial Association after Brisbane's first exhibition building, which had occupied the land, was destroyed by fire on 13 June 1888.

Lunchtime sketch

McWhirters Building in Fortitude Valley

The building is the legacy of Scotsman James McWhirter, one of Brisbane’s leading retailers of the late 19th and early 20th century. Upon his arrival in Brisbane (for the second time) in 1884 he was employed by Brisbane’s other retail mogul, the Irish catholic TC Beirne, until breaking out on his own in 1896 and becoming a rival.  

Built 1930-31 it is art deco in style, featuring a commanding facade that was designed by the Brisbane architectural firm of T.R. Hall and L.B. Phillips, who also designed the Brisbane City Hall