page_title: Toowoomba East State School
section_title: Block A (1936)
hierarchical_section_title: Toowoomba East State School / Description / Block A (1936)
caption_attribution_description: English: 650050_Block A south elevation
context_page_description: Toowoomba East State School is a heritage-listed state school on the corner of Arthur and Mary Streets, East Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1935 to 1936 by the Queensland Department of Public Works. It was originally known as Queen's Park State School. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July 2017.
context_section_description: Block A is a symmetrical two-storey building set high on an open undercroft level and has a hipped and gabled roof clad with tiles. At the roof's central peak is a prominent metal ventilation fleche with round cupola, visible from the surrounding residential neighbourhood. The building character expresses a composed simplicity through the use of attractive, simple, and low maintenance materials with minimal decorative features, including extensive use of glazed dark face bricks internally and externally contrasting with smooth-rendered concrete dressings and plain, regular fenestration.
  The building comprises an undercroft level of open play spaces below two levels of teaching rooms and its facades are defined horizontally with three materials: smooth-rendered masonry with lined coursing at undercroft level; facebrick for the first floor up to the sill level of the second floor; and painted roughcast render above. The building form is a long wing of classrooms with a centre stairwell. A long corridor across the front (north) of this wing provides access to the rooms. The corridor has simple rendered balustrades with square balusters; it has square openings on the first floor and arched openings on the second floor. However, these openings have been enclosed with later glazing that is not of cultural heritage significance. Projecting forward of the centre of the corridor is an entrance block of primarily teachers' rooms, and at either end of the long wing is a short perpendicular wing comprising a classroom, a former cloak room, and a stairwell. The central entrance block and the end wings are emphasised by front-facing gable roofs with timber battening, banks of multi-paned timber-framed casement windows with fanlights, and window hoods supported by large timber brackets. At the centre of the entrance block is a branching cement rendered stair with simple metal balustrades. It leads up to the front arched doorway, which is flanked by narrow window openings and shaded by a window hood that features a battened triangular pediment.
  The building layout is highly intact, retaining its original configuration. The undercroft retains original perimeter seats, metal grilles to openings, and rounded corners to the brick pillars. However, some new lightweight partitions have been installed to create storage spaces, which are not of cultural heritage significance. The undercroft play area is connected to bitumen-surfaced play areas in front and behind the building via multiple openings and broad concrete steps.
  The first floor configuration comprises a short entrance hall with teachers rooms either side, leading to the corridor and classrooms behind. The wall between the corridor and the classrooms retains tall, double hung timber-framed windows, and French doors with fanlights, and although some French doors have been replaced with later doors, the fanlights survive throughout. However, the partitions between the classrooms of the centre wing have been removed to create larger classrooms, with nibs and bulkheads retained to indicate their former location. New partitions have been installed in one classroom and to enclose the cloak rooms for further staff rooms, and in the centre wing to create larger classrooms.
  The first and second floors are very similar configurations, with identical removal of partitions and similar insertion of new partitions.
  On both levels, the classrooms feature abundant natural light, simple timber joinery, and lofty ceilings. The corridors, cloak rooms, stairwells, and stairwells have smooth concrete ceilings, which is the original condition. The classrooms of the end wings retain the original sheets and battens lined ceilings but those of the centre wing are lined with recent flat sheet material and have modern cornices. The stairwells have simple iron balustrades with moulded clear-finished timber handrails and concrete stairs.
  At the stair landing between first and second floors of the centre stairwell, a set of timber-framed, glazed French doors lead out onto a narrow balcony that overlooks a parade g
caption: Block A, south elevation
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