King George Square

This is King George Square, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located between Adelaide Street and Ann Street. Brisbane City Hall is right next to it.

The square was first known as Albert Square, named after Prince Albert. Albert Street used to run from the Botanic Gardens to Ann Street, and Market Square was south of Albert Street, between Ann and Adelaide streets. That Market Square became the site for Brisbane City Hall. The City Hall was set back from Albert Street, and the widened area of Albert Street, plus some land north of it, was renamed Albert Square. There are photographs of Albert Square before it looked like this. When Albert Square was redeveloped into King George Square, its fountain was moved to Wynnum.

In 1912, when it was still Albert Square, it was the site of the Brisbane general strike. Over 15,000 union members marched here after being denied a permit. The police, on Commissioner Cahill's orders, charged and attacked the peaceful protesters in an event that became known as 'Black Friday.'

After King George V died in 1936, the square was widened to include the area that had been Albert Street and renamed King George Square in his honor. The bronze lion sculptures, which look like they're guarding the entrance to Brisbane City Hall, were originally on large sandstone plinths as part of the George V memorial, unveiled in 1938 as a tribute from the citizens of Brisbane.

Vehicular traffic, including a trolley-bus route, went through the square until 1969, when the roadway was closed. Buildings on the north side, like the Tivoli Theatre and the Hibernian Building, were bought by the City Council and demolished to build the underground King George Square Car Park. During that construction, statues, including King George V and the bronze lions, were moved to their current spots. Now, there's a narrow laneway between the statues and the square for government or work vehicles to reach City Hall.

A round fountain in the center of King George Square was also demolished and replaced with a rectangular one. During the 2005–07 drought, the water in the rectangular fountain was temporarily replaced by a "Watersense garden" with drought-resistant plants.

You can also find statues of famous Queenslanders in a section called "Speakers' Corner." These include Steele Rudd, Emma Miller, and Sir Charles Lilley. Bronze sculptures from Expo '88 have also been incorporated into the design here.

In October 2009, the new King George Square opened after 16 months of redevelopment. The design, by UbrisJHD, was chosen in a national competition. This redevelopment followed the conversion of the lower two levels of the underground car park into the King George Square busway station. The redesign has received criticism for its excess surface heat, glare, and lack of grass and shade. King George Square was listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register on January 1, 2004.