DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
St Andrew’s was built during 1904 under the supervision of its architect George D. Payne.
It was opened and dedicated as a Presbyterian Church in 1905. Situated on the corner of Creek Street and Ann Street, the red brick and concrete building has been a Brisbane landmark since its construction in the days of the horse and cart. Its design with strong architectural forms including prominent tower, semi-circular arched openings and steeply pitched gables brilliantly exploits the potential of the constrained sloping site.St Andrew’s is a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia, a denomination formed in 1977 by the union of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. In 1981, soon after the union, another Uniting Church situated at 446 Ann Street (formerly Congregational) closed and its minister and congregation joined St Andrew’s. Thus St Andrew’s Uniting Church is the successor of two congregations, St Andrew’s Presbyterian and City Congregational. The spirit of these two congregations still thrives at the corner of Ann and Creek today.
This church building is an excellent example of the ecclesiastical architecture emerging in the late 1800s of Romanesque and Byzantine influences as opposed to the Gothic style. It is one of the earliest buildings in Brisbane employing this Romanesque detail and form. Other significant features include the early church seating, elders’ chairs and communion table, open auditorium, prominent pipe organ and tiered chancel.
Since its construction, the building has been a work in progress in a sense. Early in the present century, major renovations were carried out, including more attractive entrances from Ann Street to the sanctuary and from Creek Street to St Andrew’s Hall and contemporary office space.
More detail about the history and construction of St Andrew’s is contained in a book published in 2005, Valuing Our Heritage by Noel Adsett. It is available in the church office, Creek Street.
