The Proserpine Hospital on the corner of Herbert and Taylor Streets, Proserpine was constructed in 1939–40 to the design of prominent north Queensland architects, Hill and Taylor. The pavilions were built by W C Kynaston. It contains a group of three single storeyed brick pavilions located on a large block originally surrounded by formal gardens of manicured lawns and specimen trees. The architectural firm of Hill and Taylor commenced in
Cairns in 1925, although
Richard Hill had been working in Cairns prior to this.
Arthur John Henry Taylor was born in New South Wales and received his general and architectural education in
Brisbane. Hill and Taylor continued in Cairns until 1941, with a
Townsville office running from 1933 to 1939. The practice resumed in 1945 but was abandoned in 1952 mainly due to Taylor's ill-health. The partnership of Hill and Taylor dominated north Queensland architecture between
World War I and
World War II. The firm was responsible for a number of prominent buildings in north Queensland including the
Cairns City Council Building (1938), the
Cairns Post Office (1930), the
Johnstone Shire Hall in
Innisfail (1938), the
Barron Valley Hotel in
Atherton (1940) and a number of country hospitals, including
Mossman Hospital. The Proserpine Hospital replaced an earlier timber hospital, which was built in 1911 on the old Bowen Road approximately from the centre of town. The first hospital was constructed using funds raised by the local community. They continued to fund the running of the hospital, assisted by regular donations from the local
Proserpine Shire Council, until June 1930 when it was forced to close as it seemed that the Proserpine community were unable to support it any longer. However, a year later the hospital re-opened when the community rallied together to raise the necessary funds. Then in 1936 a decision was made by the Bowen Hospital Board, which had taken over the running of the hospital, to shift the hospital to its present site so that it would be closer to the town. A new hospital was designed in late 1936 to supplement the buildings shifted from the original site. A foundation stone was laid on 4 February 1939 by the Hon.
Ned Hanlon. The new buildings, which were completed by 1940, consisted of a maternity ward, nursers quarters, male ward and an outpatients department. These buildings consisted of a series of
pavilions joined by covered walkways. They were all in the same style and constructed in red brick with high pitched bungalow roofs, which incorporated louvered ventilators in their gables. A feature of all the buildings were arcades with distinctive brick arches and concrete columns, and projecting front parapets that gave emphasis to the entrances. In the early 1960s the front entrance parapets of the buildings were altered. This work varied slightly on each building but involved the removal of the ornate brickwork parapets and their replacement with plain triangular pediments or small hipped roofs. In addition the roofs which had been constructed in corrugated asbestos cement was replaced with galvanised iron. The hospital was redeveloped in the late 1990s. When works were completed in 1999 much of the original hospital had been retained including the former maternity ward, male ward, and outpatients department. However, the Nursers's Quarters which fronted Herbert Street was demolished. The original 1923 Maternity Hospital, later Wardsman's House, was renovated to provide accommodation to medical staff. == Description ==