George David Payne

George David Payne
Born	1853 London, England
Died	1916 Brisbane, Australia
Occupation	Architect

George David Payne (1853–1916) was an Australian architect. He worked for a short time in the Public Works Department in Queensland, alongside John Smith Murdoch and Thomas Pye in a time when the Department was producing a considerable amount of high quality works. Payne's greatest achievement is undoubtedly his design of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Brisbane.

George David Payne was born in 1853 in London, England to George David Payne, a distiller, and Eliza Grant. He received his training as an architect in London. In c.1887 Payne emigrated, settling in Sydney, New South Wales. He was a foundation member of the Sydney Architectural Association and its inaugural vice-president in 1891-93. His move to Brisbane around 1898 was prompted by the sustained economic depression. There he became a fellow of the Queensland Institute of Architects. In November 1897 Payne married Theodora Lucie Jarrett. His wife survived him after his death on December 4, age 63, at his residence, Holyrood, in Ryans Road, St Lucia.

After settling in Australia, Payne worked for the Sydney architecture firm Loweish and Moorhouse. In 1889 he was responsible for the firm's winning design entry for the Royal Bank Competition in Brisbane. The following year he submitted an action to claim the surplus of the competition premium. The claim was much publicized and ultimately successful.

In March, 1898 Payne joined the Queensland Department of Public Works as a draftsman where he "may have been the catalyst for the sophistication of the subsequent work of the Professional Branch." Within the department he worked alongside architects John Smith Murdoch and Thomas Pye. Payne is considered to have contributed to, or at least influenced, the design of various public buildings, including the Rockhampton Customs House, Warwick Post Office and East Brisbane State School. Among other works, the design and documentation of the Townsville Customs House is attributed to him. In 1901 Payne was appointed assistant to Thomas Pye.Payne left the Public Works Department in 1904 to oversee the construction of his winning design for St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Brisbane.

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