Townsville School of Arts
| Townsville School of Arts | |
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Townsville School of Arts, 2005
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| Location | Stanley Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 19°15′37″S 146°48′49″E / 19.2603°S 146.8137°ECoordinates: 19°15′37″S 146°48′49″E / 19.2603°S 146.8137°E |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Eyre & Munro |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Townsville School of Arts, Dance North, Townsville Arts Centre | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600925 |
| Significant period | 1890s-1930s (historical) 1890s-1900s (fabric) 1890s-1930s (social) |
| Significant components | school of arts |
| Builders | James Smith |
 Location of Townsville School of Arts in Queensland
Location of Townsville School of Arts in Queensland
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Townsville School of Arts is a heritage-listed former school of arts and now community cultural centre at Stanley Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Eyre & Munro and built in 1891 by James Smith. It is also known as Dance North and Townsville Arts Centre. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The School of Arts building was designed by Townsville architects Eyre and Munro. It was constructed by local builder James Smith and opened in May 1891. The first Mechanic's Institutes or Schools of Arts were established in Britain in the early 1800s and were intended to assist self improvement and to promote moral, social and intellectual growth, by providing lectures, discussions and lending libraries to a rising middle class. At the time there were no free public libraries and books were expensive, so that access to books by borrowing as subscribers provided an important service. The first School of Arts committee in Queensland was established in Brisbane in 1849 with the aim of "the advancement of the community in literary, philosophic and scientific subjects". As towns and districts became established, local committees were formed to set up schools of arts, which became one of the principal sources of adult education. The government recognised this by making land available, subsidising books and assisting with building costs. Most Schools of Arts also had a hall with a stage which could be hired, thus encouraging the arts as well as providing a source of revenue.
The first School of Arts committee met in Townsville in 1866 and comprised a number of leading citizens including the town's founders, Captain Robert Towns and Mr John Melton Black. Townsville had been established only two years previously as a port and commercial centre for the pastoral industry north of the Burdekin. It was gazetted as a port of entry in 1865 and grew quickly. The School of Arts began modestly in a small rented cottage with a foundation library of 30 books. It soon moved to larger premises, but did not acquire a permanent home until 1877 when a substantial building was constructed on a reserve granted for the purpose on Melton Hill. Gradually the business heart of the city moved westward so that by 1889 it was believed that the School of Arts on Melton Hill was too far from the centre of town.
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