George David Payne

George David Payne (1853–1916) was an Australian architect. He worked for a short time in the Public Works Department in Queensland, alongside John Smith Murdoch and Thomas Pye in a time when the Department was producing a considerable amount of high quality works.

Personal life

George David Payne was born in 1853 in London, England to George David Payne, a distiller, and Eliza Grant. He received his training as an architect in London. In c.1887 Payne emigrated, settling in Sydney. He was a foundation member of the Sydney Architectural Association and its inaugural vice-president in 1891–93. His move to Brisbane around 1898 was prompted by the sustained economic depression. There he became a fellow of the Queensland Institute of Architects. In November 1897 Payne married Theodora Lucie Jarrett. His wife survived him after his death on 4 December 1916, age 63, at his residence, Holyrood, in Ryans Road, St Lucia. Within the department he worked alongside architects John Smith Murdoch and Thomas Pye. Payne is considered to have contributed to, or at least influenced, the design of various public buildings, including the Rockhampton Customs House, Warwick Post Office and East Brisbane State School. Among other works, the design and documentation of the Townsville Customs House is attributed to him. In 1901 Payne was appointed assistant to Thomas Pye. Payne left the Public Works Department in 1904 to oversee the construction of his winning design for St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Brisbane.

Competitions In 1889 Payne was responsible for the firm's winning design entry for the Royal Bank Competition in Brisbane. The following year, after leaving Loweish and Moorhouse, he submitted entries for to various competitions. He came third in three: The Australian Club, Melbourne, City Avenue Building, Sydney (with A. L. and G. McCredie), and an asylum at Rossiville. His entry for the Melbourne Commercial Bank the same year is also notable for its alternate elevations in Romanesque, Renaissance and Queen Anne.

The Romanesque design was a contrast to the Gothically inspired stone church it replaced. It is renowned for its bold massing, abstracted planes, and unadorned red brickwork, and can be marked for placing importance upon the design implications of the relationship to the immediate site and the local climate.

List of known built works 1900 Townsville Customs House:16 Wickham St Townsville QLD 4810 1911 South Brisbane Library: 472 Stanley St South Brisbane QLD 4101 1911–1916 Brisbane Grammar School (School House alterations, Science Wing and New Building): 24 Gregory Terrace Spring Hill QLD 4000