[1] Architect Walter Burley Griffin was born and educated in America and graduated from the renowned school of architecture at the University of Illinois in 1899.

The construction of the Ipswich incinerator was supervised by local architect George Brockwell Gill and was opened in 1936.

[1] To implement the processing of rubbish, the incinerator was built into a hill to allow road access to the top and bottom of the building.

On the upper level, trucks carrying rubbish backed in through roller doors and dumped their cargo into hoppers.

Unburned residue was doused with water then hauled by electric motor to an area to the west of the incinerator.

Many people wished to see the building retained and a symposium sponsored by the Ipswich Chamber of Commerce supported its preservation.

When commercial theatre declined during the Depression, amateur dramatic societies became a significant part of the cultural life of Australia, being the only form of live performance accessible to a large section of the community.

They have been and still are a training ground for actors, playwrights, directors and designers and have given the public an opportunity to hear locally written drama.

Progress received a setback when television arrived and eroded the interest of the public in live theatre.

A rubbish hopper was removed to create a stage area and scenery tower and the space previously used for machinery was converted into an auditorium.

The design includes moulded brickwork and concrete dressings but has fewer decorative elements than Griffin's other incinerators.

[1] The former Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.

The construction, use, expansion and eventual obsolescence of the former Ipswich municipal incinerator demonstrates a growing concern with public health during the twentieth century and of the civic programs undertaken to promote it.

Although the former incinerator was intended as an industrial building, it is also aesthetically pleasing in its form and setting and was sufficiently well regarded by the community to trigger a campaign to preserve it.

[1] The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.