Neighbourhood Planning Chair Amanda Cooper has officially unveiled Brisbane City Council’s $2.6 million revitalisation of King Edward Park and the heritage-listed Jacob’s Ladder stairs.
The project is part of Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s Vibrant Laneways and Small Spaces and Inhabit programs – which are helping to breathe new life into Brisbane’s tired and hidden spaces.
Cr Cooper said the Jacob’s Ladder precinct was a key candidate for a makeover, particularly its iconic, but deteriorating, stairs, which have received little attention since their construction almost 50 years ago.
She said it would also provide a safer pedestrian link between the CBD and Spring Hill.
“The top end of the CBD is one of the busiest areas for pedestrian traffic and we wanted to get people using these stairs again,” Cr Cooper.
“They are an important thoroughfare for workers, shoppers, tourists and even local hospital patients, and also a timely reminder of how this city has evolved over the last 150 years.
“This is why we were so keen to rejuvenate them in a way which didn’t just promote their functionality, but also made them a vibrant, attractive part of our cityscape – which is what the Lord Mayor’s Vibrant Laneways and Small Spaces program is all about.”
Council undertook a number of improvements to the precinct - located between Wickham Terrace and Edward and Turbot Streets - including:
• Reconditioning the stairs and installing new pedestrian lighting and railings.
• Closing the slip lane between Turbot and Edward Streets to create a new plaza at the base of the stairs.
• The installation of Arnaldo Pomodoro’s iconic Forme del Mito bronze sculptures from Expo ‘88 (previously located in King George Square before the upgrade).
• An upgrade of lighting and landscaping in King Edward Park.
Today’s launch also marked the Jacob’s Ladder stair’s premiere as a piece of public art work as part of Council’s 12-month Inhabit program.
Inhabit @ Jacob’s Ladder uses projectors to paint a rainbow of colours and heavenly-themed artistic interpretations of some of Brisbane’s key icons from the past 150 years on the newly-painted fire-engine red stairs.
These include paintings of the Old Windmill, the heritage-listed air-raid shelter in King Edward Park, and Brisbane's first-ever television broadcast.
The works were done by internationally-renowned Maltese artist Norbert Francis and play on the biblical reference of Jacob’s Ladder being a connection between Heaven and Earth.
The program follows a successful pilot begun in May of temporary installations that included a giant face suspended over Burnett Lane and Astroturf in Eagle Street.
Cr Cooper said another five Inhabit installations were planned over the next 12 months at other locations including Turbot Street, William Jolly Bridge, and the corner of Edward and Alice Streets.
“Inhabit is a key initiative of Council’s City Centre Master Plan and supports the Vibrant Laneways and Small Spaces program,” she said.
Other Council Vibrant Laneways projects include the revitalisation of Market Street and the upcoming Burnett Lane Master Plan.
The revitalised Jacob’s Ladder and King Edward Park will be open to full public use on Monday, August 3.
Facts:
About 3750 pavers were laid during the construction of the plaza.
18 new trees have been planted at Jacob’s Ladder/King Edward Park
This included 4.5 metre, 350 kilogram Colville’s Glory trees, which took four people each to lift into place and flower bright gold. They were chosen in honour of the late Harry Oakman, Council’s Parks Superintendent from 1946 to 1963.
The sculptures were based on a theatre set for the Greek tragedy of Agamemnon.
Brisbane City Council built the Jacob’s Ladder stairs in 1961 and the air raid shelter in King Edward Park in 1942. Both are heritage-listed.
King Edward Park received its name in 1911. It was previously known as Observatory Park.
The image projectors will be relocated to other projects at the end of Inhabit.
The slip lane was replaced by a dedicated left turn from Turbot St into Edward St.
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