Go back in time to the 1940s with Vera Leichney's Brisbane's skyline, now a record of things past

Mon 1 Sep 2025

Viewed from across the Brisbane River at South Brisbane, Vera Leichney's (1886–1951) Brisbane skyline c.1944 is a modest and accomplished painting which focuses on a slice of Brisbane’s central business district and the buildings along William Street and Queen's Wharf Road that serviced the nearby wharves, an area integral to early settlement.

Over time, a city's aspirations and the original function for buildings change, and many of Brisbane's architectural landmarks have been lost. Here we focus on the recognisable and historically significant buildings in Brisbane skyline that have stood the test of time.

Then & Now: Historical buildings on William Street, Brisbane

Former Department of Agriculture and Stock

• William Street originally comprised of buildings dating from the early 19th century to support Brisbane's penal settlement (1825–39), however the State Government began purchasing the properties in the 1960s as part of their precinct development scheme, therefore most of the buildings in the foreground of Leichney's painting used for manufacturing, warehousing, and shipping have been demolished.
• The remaining building taking most of the centre foreground of the painting is located at 99 William Street and was formerly the William Street Immigration Depot (1865–66).
• Enlarged and converted to offices for the Department of Agriculture and Stock from 1898–90, the building extends down a steeply sloping site onto Queen's Wharf Road (originally known as King's Wharf until 1837 when it became Queen's Wharf after the ascendancy of Queen Victoria).
• The heritage-listed building now houses the National Trust of Queensland and is known as National Trust House.

Former Commissariat Stores

• Adjacent to the Department of Agriculture and Stock sits the heritage-listed Commissariat Stores at 115 William Street, hidden behind greenery and one of only two surviving convict-built buildings.
• The original lower two storeys were constructed in 1828–29 and faced King's Wharf and the river.
• A third storey added in 1913 to accommodate its continuing use as a government store re-orientated the main access to William Street with the top storey street level.
• The building now houses the Commissariat Store Museum.

Former Queensland Museum

• Just out of frame is the three-storeyed and first purpose-built home for the Queensland Museum (1876–79) at 159 William Street. In 1899, the Museum moved to the Exhibition Building at Bowen Hills, remaining until the museum's relocation to the Queensland Cultural Centre in 1986.
• The State Library of Queensland moved in from 1902 until 1988 when the Library was relocated to the Queensland Cultural Centre.
• The heritage-listed building will house an Aboriginal and European heritage centre with tourist information and interactive exhibits, connecting local and visitors to Queen’s Wharf rich history and vibrant future.

Former Land Administration building

• Located opposite the Former Queensland Museum and State Library is the heritage-listed park Queens Gardens (also known as Queens Park) (1905) and the heritage-listed Land Administration building (Executive building) (1899–1905) at 142 William Street.
• The building now houses a luxury hotel.

Former Treasury building

• The precinct at North Quay ends with the second Victoria Bridge (1896–97), the only road crossing over the river until the Grey Street Bridge opened in 1932, it became evident there was a need for another bridge to divert traffic away from the centre of Brisbane.
• The bridge was demolished in 1969 with the completion of the current Victoria Bridge.
• Opposite is the heritage-listed Treasury building (1886–1928) at 130 William Street which until recently functioned as the Treasury Casino (1995–2024) before moving to new premises within Queen’s Wharf.
• The building now houses a university.

Today, these historical buildings are now integrated into the Queen’s Wharf redevelopment creating a vibrant area in the heart of the CBD.

Brisbane skyline c.1944

Buildings along William Street

North Quay & Gardens Point

Department of Agriculture and Stock building, William Street

Department of Agriculture and Stock, Queens Wharf Road

Commissariat Stores

Then & Now: Other city landmarks

St Pauls Presbyterian Church

• The church spire standing out in the distance is most likely the heritage-listed St Pauls Presbyterian Church (1887–89), its belltower and spire rising 46 metres at 43 St Pauls Terrace, Spring Hill.
• The church is still a place of worship.

Canberra Hotel

• In the middle distance is the silhouette of the Canberra Hotel (1927–29), a seven-storey temperance hotel on the south-west corner of Ann and Edward Streets.
• The building was demolished in 1987.

Customs House

• The flag and flagpole in the middle distance in all likelihood sits atop of heritage-listed Customs House (1886–89) at 427 Queen Street, used for the collection of customs duty when Queensland was a British-administered colony of New South Wales.
• The building now houses a university.

Radio antenna towers

• Brisbane's skyline at the time was peppered with several antenna towers on top of buildings with the dominance of public broadcasting and home radio in the 1940s.
• Initially, all radio transmission was located within the city centre before being relocated before the end of World War Two, with the belief they could act as a navigational aid for enemy aircraft.

In Brisbane skyline, Leichney has harnessed the shapes and hues of the buildings in Brisbane’s CBD to create a lively composition that is now a record of things past.

City skyline of Brisbane, featuring Canberra Hotel and St Pauls Presbyterian Church in the distance

St Pauls Presbyterian Church

Customs House featuring a copper-sheathed dome and flagpole

Brisbane's radio antenna towers

Then & Now: 2025/2013/1944

Brisbane’s skyline from South Brisbane, similarly viewed in Leichney's painting Brisbane skyline c.1944.

2025

• The Queen’s Wharf redevelopment in William Street.

2013

• Featuring the Neville Bonner building (1998-2016), a government property formerly at 75 William Street, to the right of the original William Street Immigration Depot building (1865–66);
• The Government Executive building (1971-2016) behind the Neville Bonner building, formerly 100 George Street with access to William Street.
• Both demolished for the Queen’s Wharf precinct.

1944

• Brisbane skyline c.1944 depicts the precinct before the State Government redevelopment scheme in William Street, with the Brisbane skyline to be changed dramatically with the first skyscrapers in the 1970s and the transformation to the modern CBD we see today.

Vera Leichney

In Brisbane, artists such as Vida Lahey, William Bustard, Charles H Lancaster and Leichney contributed to the city’s growing artistic community. Leichney was an active member of the Royal Queensland Art Society, serving as a council member (1944–45 and 1948–50) and member of the Brisbane Art Group.

Vera Leichney (third from left) & Members of the Brisbane Art Group 

View Vera Leichney's Brisbane skyline c.1944 in 'Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s' at the Queensland Art Gallery or delve into the works on display with our weekly highlights.

Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s
16 August 2025 – 26 January 2026
Queensland Art Gallery
Brisbane, Australia
Free entry

Go back in time to discover Brisbane’s forgotten landmarks, delve into our historical past, and uncover unique stories through the work of Australian artists in QAGOMA’s Collection.

Edited curatorial extracts, research and supplementary material sourced and compiled by Elliott Murray, Senior Digital Marketing Officer, QAGOMA

‘Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s’ is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue supported by Publication Sponsor the Gordon Darling Foundation.