Toowoomba North State School is located in the Darling Downs city of Toowoomba, northwest of the central business district. It occupies a long, two hectare site along the northern side of a block bounded by Mort Street to the east, Taylor Street to the north, and Kingston Street to the west. To the south, the school is bounded by Gilbert Street, Dunster Lane and private properties. School buildings are located in the northeast portion of the site, with playing fields to the south and west, and numerous mature trees lining the school perimeter. A 1938 Depression-era brick school building (Block A) is the largest building and stands at the eastern end of the site. To the west is a 1950s timber school building (Block B) which comprises a classroom wing and a former vocational training building.
Block A – 1938 brick school building Block A is a substantial, classically detailed, two-storey masonry structure, with an
undercroft. The building is symmetrically arranged and orientated east–west, addressing Taylor Street to the north. The main entrance is demarcated by a central projecting
bay, accessed by a T-shaped staircase. The building has a
hipped roof clad with concrete tiles and has a prominent ventilation
flèche in the centre. Recently constructed external stairwells attached to the east and west ends of the building are not of heritage significance. The building is elegantly composed, with load-bearing face brick walls and rendered decorative elements to the first and second floors; and a rendered base finished to resemble channel-jointed
ashlar. The red brick exterior is relieved with contrasting
pilasters of a dark brown brick with simple, rendered
capitals. The projecting entrance bay features a pediment over a central first floor doorway, which has a rendered aedicule. The pediment is supported by pilasters and a circular accent vent with rendered surround is centred on the face brick
tympanum. Beneath the pediment, the words "TOOWOOMBA NORTH STATE SCHOOL" and "1938" are engraved. Smaller
pediments are centred on the classroom wings on either side of the entrance bay and over the projecting bays housing the main staircases and former cloakrooms on the southern (rear) side of the building. A secondary entrance leading to the undercroft is located at the base of the eastern bay, with additional entrances at the western end of the building (one each on the north and south
facades) and various openings leading to the undercroft. Window openings are regularly spaced and contain sets of timber, three-light
casements with
fanlights above. Four bays of windows at the west end of the north façade, which now contain
louvres, appear to be the only major replacements. Double-hung
sash windows are located on either side of the southern entrance, and grated openings provide light and ventilation to play space in the undercroft. The main entrance doors are large, panelled timber double doors with fanlights above. Other early entrance doors include a half-glazed, boarded door to the girls toilets and half-glazed double doors to the northwest entrance. The interior layout is approximately symmetrical, with classrooms arranged along the southern side of the building connected by corridors along the north side. Originally comprising the manual training rooms, boys' toilets and play space in the undercroft; five classrooms, domestic science rooms, entrance hall, two teachers rooms, girls toilets and a store room on the first floor; and seven (later nine) classrooms and two teachers rooms on the second floor, the layout of the building remains generally intact. Alterations to the layout include the removal of original folding partitions between classrooms, resulting in some double-sized rooms, and the insertion of partitions in places. The manual training room and domestic science rooms, located at the eastern end of the building, have been converted into classrooms. The first floor corridor has been extended to run the full length of the building; the location of former walls is indicated by changes in the floor surface and small bulkheads across the ceiling. Former cloakrooms, located adjacent to the internal staircases, have been converted for use as staff rooms or other functional spaces. The classrooms and teachers rooms/offices have plaster walls with
picture rails, chamfered
skirting boards, and flat-sheeted ceilings with timber
battens arranged in a square pattern. Bulkheads run north–south across the ceilings and in some instances indicate the location of former folding doors between classrooms. One set of timber folding doors with original door hardware survives in the westernmost classroom on the second floor. Brass plaques commemorating the official opening of the school are located in the entrance hall. Corridors have plastered walls, concrete floors (coloured red with uncoloured,
coved concrete edging), and bulkheads between different sections of the building. The second floor corridor ceiling retains its flat-sheeted ceiling with batten cover strips, however the ground floor ceiling has been replaced. Internal corridor windows are generally three-light, double hung sashes with three-light fanlights above. Classroom doors are panelled double doors with three-light fanlights above. A variety of other early internal timber doors survive, including half-glazed double and single doors and four-panelled doors. The internal staircases have red concrete steps (matching the corridor floors) and metal
balustrades with timber posts and top rails. The male and female toilets have concrete floors and similar plaster walls and battened ceilings to the classrooms. Both retain early cubicle partitions with panelled timber doors. Due to the slope of the land, the undercroft is partially underground at the western end and inaccessible past the western internal staircase. The central area of the undercroft is largely open play space, punctuated by rectangular
columns of brown brick with rounded corners. The floor is concrete and steel I-beams support the timber framing of the floor above. Early timber benches survive along some walls. Beneath the entrance bay, the space has been enclosed with partitions and boarded timber doors to form a tuck shop and storage space. Further storage areas have been fenced off at the western end of the play space. The former Manual Training rooms at the eastern end of the undercroft continue to be used as classrooms and storage space.
Block B – 1950s timber school building Block B is a T-shaped timber building comprising a former vocational training building (1957) at the western end (orientated north–south) attached to a classroom wing (1951, 53, 56) of six classrooms (orientated east–west). Both sections of the building have
gable roofs clad in
corrugated metal sheeting. Due to the sloping site, the building is lowset at the western end and highset at the eastern end, with play space beneath five of the classrooms. A
verandah along the north side of the classroom wing is linked by a passageway through the centre of the vocational training building to an enclosed western verandah. The classroom wing is clad in chamferboards and has large banks of windows along the southern wall. From east to west, the dates of construction for the classrooms are: two classrooms in 1956; one classroom in 1953; and three classrooms in 1951. The different stages of the building's construction are evident by the joinery used: the 1951 and 1953 classrooms have banks of three-light casement windows and fanlights in their southern walls, while the 1956 classrooms have timber
awning windows. The westernmost classroom stands on round timber stumps, and the remainder of the classrooms are supported by a combination of round metal poles (modern), square timber posts, square concrete stumps, and timber-framed perimeter and bracing walls. Windows and fanlights to the north verandah have been replaced with sliding aluminium windows, however the openings and timber
mullions remain. All classrooms are accessed by timber double doors, most with modern hardware, however those accessing the 1956 classrooms are half-glazed board doors with no fanlight and one retains early hardware. The north verandah has a timber floor, bag rack balustrades and a raked ceiling lined with flat sheeting with cover strips. Original glazed screens survive at the far eastern corner. Three sets of
stairs provide access - two sets attached to and running parallel with the verandah, and one set added at the eastern end which comes up through the verandah floor, surrounded by a timber rail balustrade. All classrooms measure and have flat internal wall and ceiling linings. Sections of early linings are distinguished by the use of batten or curved cover strips. In the 1956 section, a large opening between the classrooms remains, however folding doors (shown on the original plans) have been removed. Early, half-glazed double doors survive in the centre of the wall between the 1953 and eastern 1951 classrooms. Between the 1951 classrooms, one connecting door has been enclosed, and the other has been removed and a large opening created in its place. The vocational training building is clad in
weatherboards and stands on square concrete stumps. Windows are predominantly timber awning windows, with double-hung sash windows in the passageway and verandah walls. The interior of the vocational training building generally has flat wall and ceiling linings with cover strips. The layout of original rooms – domestic science rooms to the south and manual training rooms to the north – is largely intact, although later partitions have divided up the two larger training rooms. A series of rooms, formerly used for storage and as smaller training rooms, remain in the verandah space. Alterations to the building include the full enclosure of the verandah, installation of a bathroom off the south side of the passageway, the removal of the fitting room partitions in the southeast corner of the domestic science room, and the insertion of additional doors and openings. The building has a variety of doors, most of which are modern, with early examples including half-glazed double and single doors. The verandah has a raked ceiling, and both the passageway and verandah have chamferboard cladding to the walls. The understorey of the classroom wing has a concrete floor and low, off-form concrete
retaining walls surround the western end of the space. Timber bracing walls beneath the 1956 classrooms are lined with diagonal timber boards. A store room with chamferboard-clad walls and timber board doors is located in the southwest corner.
Grounds The school grounds contain mature trees, including rows of camphor laurels (
Cinnamomum camphora) along the western and northern boundaries, and individual feature trees, including camphor laurels, pines, eucalypts, a flame tree (
Brachychiton acerifolius) and maples (
Acer, sp.) adjacent to other boundaries and south of Blocks A and B. A swimming pool (1959) is located at the western end of the grounds. Set back from the streets and surrounded by gardens, pathways and a playing field, Block A is a prominent feature and makes an important contribution to the streetscape. == Heritage listing ==