St Stephens School, Brisbane
| St Stephens School, Brisbane | |
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Former St Stephen's School, 2014
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| Location | 172 Charlotte Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°28′09″S 153°01′44″E / 27.4691°S 153.0288°ECoordinates: 27°28′09″S 153°01′44″E / 27.4691°S 153.0288°E |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | John Ibler |
| Official name: St Stephens School | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600106 |
| Significant period | 1892-1965 (historical) 1890s (fabric) 1890s-1960s (social) |
| Significant components | school/school room, fence/wall - perimeter |
| Builders | Thomas Rees |
 Location of St Stephens School, Brisbane in Queensland
Location of St Stephens School, Brisbane in Queensland
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St Stephens School is a heritage-listed former Roman Catholic school at 172 Charlotte Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect John Ibler and built in 1892 by Thomas Rees. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The school stands on land which was designated for church use in 1847 and officially granted to the Catholic Church in 1849. The very first denominational school in Brisbane had been established in 1845 by the Catholic Church - an indication of early Catholic commitment to education. The aspirations of the Catholic Church and the nature of the 1875 education legislation in Queensland ensured that the early commitment became an enduring feature of Catholic activity, for the church deplored the secular nature of instruction offered in "state" schools and determined to establish its own schools wherever possible. It was within this context that the erection of St Stephens School occurred.
Classes had been conducted in various "second-hand" buildings since 1845, but on 20 March 1892 Archbishop Robert Dunne, a trained teacher, laid the foundation stone for this purpose-built school. A tin capsule containing copies of the three Brisbane daily newspapers and The Australasian was lodged under the stone. Mr John Ibler of Simkin & Ibler, the designers of the building, was present at the ceremony and the contractor, Thomas Rees, made a donation towards the cost of erection. Rees was a prolific building contractor of the period - he built the South East Queensland Water Board Building and Spencers Building.
Construction time was quite brief - on 25 September 1892 the school was blessed by Cardinal Patrick Francis Moran in the presence of a large public gathering. By contemporary standards this was a most impressive school and Cardinal Moran was moved to remark that he hoped "...the people of New South Wales would not allow themselves to be surpassed by those of Queensland in the erection of such schools." The cardinal and several visiting church officials were in Brisbane to open two new churches, lay the foundation stone of another, bless the new school and unveil a statue of the late Bishop James O'Quinn.
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Wikipedia