Pollard's Store

The building was constructed for Daking-Smith and Co., drapers, furnishers and boot merchants, on the former site of the old Queens Hotel which had been demolished in 1906. and in January 2021 as a K Hub. == Description ==

The former Pollard's Store stands at the western end of Gill Street, near the corner of Mosman Street, in the central business district of Charters Towers. This part of the town's main street also has a number of other prominent commercial and civic buildings. The store is a two-storeyed building with an imposing street facade constructed of locally manufactured red bricks. The parapeted gable has a curved apex, piers projecting above the parapet, a large semi-circular window located centrally and octagonal towers at each end. Below the apex is a panel with the rendered letters "D S & Co." (Daking-Smith & Co.). The brick piers divide the parapet and the window into three. The upper sashes of this window have leadlight stained glass. To each side of the window are small circular recesses in the brickwork. The octagonal towers have elongated arched openings to each face with wrought iron balustrading, flat roofs and spires. The building exhibits characteristics of the turn of the century Federation architecture expressed in a commercial building in a free interpretive style. The gabled roof is of corrugated galvanised iron, with a vented ridge and glazed rooflight located centrally. To the street facade is an awning extending over the footpath. Framed in timber, it has a valance and parapet of fibrous cement sheet cut to a sawtooth between the posts. At the entry to the store are island plate glass display cases with red tiled bases, brass framing and leadlight upper panels. This area has a pressed metal ceiling and cornices. Above each entry is a sign painted on the glass including "Stan Pollard & Co." at the central bay. The sides and rear of the building are of unpainted brickwork. Also to the rear facade but smaller than that of the front is a semi-circular leadlight window. Service access to the rear is via a laneway. Internally, the building has a mezzanine level around a central well, with substantial columns of steel and timber. To the underside of the mezzanine is in extensive pressed metal ceiling and cornices, with a pressed metal cladding also to the balustrade. The ceiling to the store is raked, exposing the timber roof trusses. == Heritage listing ==

The former Pollard's Store was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 October 1996 having satisfied the following criteria. '''The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.''' Pollard's Store reflects the wealth of the Charters Towers community and district during the early part of the 20th century. It is important in demonstrating the development of the Charters Towers area as a rich gold mining and pastoral district which made a significant contribution to the economic development of North Queensland. '''The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage.''' Pollard's Store is a rare surviving example of an early "grand" department store which brought a new style of luxurious shopping to remote North West Queensland. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. Still used as a department store, this building is important in illustrating the principal characteristics of an early 20th century department store in North Queensland. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The building makes an important aesthetic contribution, through form, scale and materials to the Charters Towers townscape and is an important component of early civic and commercial buildings in Gill and Mossman Streets including the Stock Exchange, the former Australian Bank of Commerce, the Post Office, the former Bank of New South Wales, and the former Queensland National Bank (later City Hall). The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The Charters Towers community has always regarded the place as an important component of the heritage of the city and an important local retail store which has served the needs of the community through most of the 20th century. '''The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.''' The place has a strong association for the community with the life and work of Stan Pollard. == References ==