Lange Powell

Lange Leopold Powell (1886–1938)[1] was a noted architect who designed many important buildings in Brisbane and the state of Queensland.

During 1904, Moore temporarily moved to Brisbane for six months to live with her sister and her brother-in-law, who was a Methodist minister.

He was very talented at pen and ink sketches and water-coloured renderings, and exhibited his work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Louvre in Paris.

Powell championed this idea, believing good supervision was required for the building to be true to plans.

He was known for not strictly following any particular "style", but instead he created his own hybrid of sorts, based on Renaissance detailing in a more simplified form.

His winning designs for St. Martin’s Hospital (1920), and the Masonic Temple (1923) were a great success, with both considered among his best work.

[7] The proposed site was on Wickham Terrace where Anzac House now stands, but it was rejected because it was considered too far out of town.

Powell designed it with a close; however it was proven to be irrelevant in some ways as it cuts off air ventilation to the patient’s room.

The roof is high pitched and covered in shingle tiles and the windows are six paned pivot hung sashes.

On the cathedral elevation there are two rainwater heads with arms extending five feet on either side, giving the appearance of a cross.

[7] Although it could be said St. Martin's is not the most practical design for a hospital, it was mentioned that Powell made the plan to suit the elevation.

While Powell was President, the Architects’ Act of 1928 was passed which required aspiring architecture graduates to be registered before being able to practice.

Powell worked hard during this time for the entrance examination level to study architecture be raised to Junior Standard.

Due to his efforts in the formation of the R.A.I.A, Powell was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

A trunk sewer was scheduled to be laid in Eagle Street, but during excavation several surrounding buildings, including Powell’s client R. Jackson’s warehouse, subsided and cracked.

[10] The site Powell inspected was an irregular sized block constrained by the city’s grid system and the Brisbane River.

The owners claimed that during the scheduled tunneling, excavation and blasting operations in Elizabeth, Eagle and Creek Streets and adjacent lanes, the Board’s negligence had damaged their buildings.

These operations, Powell declared, had interfered with and weakened the foundations on which the buildings had been erected and had altered the level of support given by the subsoil.

[10] Jackson and Powell also claimed that the damage would continue unless the Board paid to repair the buildings and prevent any further sinking.

The Board rebutted, stating that the owners knew the soil was insufficient for buildings of that size and that they had neglected to provide and construct adequate foundations.

They also said the owners’ buildings were poorly constructed with inferior materials, and that the cracking of walls and structural elements was due to the lack of maintenance required.

Powell’s report in combination with independent expert analysis proved pivotal in the Supreme Court case, with Lukin stating ‘Mr.

Powell has shown a considerable amount of ability, research and industry in supplying the Court with authorities in support of the opinions he has expressed."

In the article, they mentioned how regretful they were to inform that Brisbane had lost one of its most prominent architects and popular citizens.

Powell's self-designed home in Hamilton, Brisbane.
St Martin's Hospital in Ann Street, Brisbane
The Masonic Temple in Ann Street, Brisbane.
One of R.Jackson's warehouses by Powell
One of R. Jackson's warehouses designed by Powell.