Rockhampton School of Arts
| Rockhampton School of Arts | |
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Rockhampton School of Arts, 2002
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| Location | 230 Bolsover Street, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 23°22′53″S 150°30′48″E / 23.3815°S 150.5134°ECoordinates: 23°22′53″S 150°30′48″E / 23.3815°S 150.5134°E |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Walter Cherry |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Rockhampton School of Arts (former), Rockhampton Municipal Library, Rockhampton Municipal Theatre | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600788 |
| Significant period | 1890s-1900s (fabric) 1890s-1920s (historical) 1890s-1940s (social) |
| Significant components | school of arts |
| Builders | Walter Adam Lawson |
 Location of Rockhampton School of Arts in Queensland
Location of Rockhampton School of Arts in Queensland
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Rockhampton School of Arts is a heritage-listed former school of arts at 230 Bolsover Street, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William (Walter) Cherry built in 1894 by Walter Adam Lawson. It is also known as Rockhampton Regional Library and Rockhampton Municipal Theatre. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The Rockhampton School of Arts building was built in 1894 and is an important element of the streetscape of Bolsover Street in Rockhampton. The building is a fine example of late nineteenth century Victorian Classical architecture. It has formed a major part of the cultural, social and civic life of Rockhampton since 1894, and has associations with a previous school of arts building that existed on the site from 1865. The School of Arts building is evidence of the growth of the City of Rockhampton, and is a reflection of the confidence, drive and energy of the citizens in the period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Rockhampton is fortunate in having such an excellent School of Arts which, was established so long ago as July 1861. The promoters worked under many disadvantages for a long time. The population was small, and there was great difficulty in getting a supply of books and papers, not to speak of collecting funds for a suitable building. A considerable portion of the population was coming and going, and many others were not of a reading class. However, on 23 July 1861 a meeting was held in the Rockhampton Court House, when it was resolved to establish a School of Arts.
Schools of Arts were synonymous with Mechanics' Institutes, established in Britain early in the nineteenth century, and transplanted throughout the British Empire during the colonial era. The movement was instituted by George Birbeck who established a class for journeymen mechanics in Glasgow, and later formed the first Mechanics' Institute in London. The purpose of forming such an institute was to improve the education of working men, and to instruct them in various trades. By the late nineteenth century, Mechanics' Institutes had become popular agencies of adult education in general.
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