St Joseph's Convent, Cairns

St Joseph's Convent was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 July 1997 having satisfied the following criteria.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.

St Joseph's Convent is significant for its close association with the development of Catholicism and Catholic education in Cairns and district since the early 1900s.^[1]

Together with St Monica's Old Cathedral, these buildings form a highly intact ecclesiastical group, and are important in illustrating the evolution of the Catholic Church and Catholic education in Cairns and district.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

It is also an excellent example of the work of local architect Edward Gregory Waters, and illustrates the establishment of a tradition of building in reinforced concrete, favoured in cyclone-prone Cairns in the early 1900s.^[1]

The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

Despite some refurbishment, the convent survives substantially intact. It remains a fine example of a convent building designed to function in a tropical climate, and is of interest for its re-enforced concrete construction, considered more cyclone-proof than masonry. Together with the nearby Bishop's House and adjacent St Monica's High School Administration Building, St Joseph's Convent is part of a grouping of pre-1945 20th century buildings which, although of different styles, are all of similar scale, materials and planning. Both individually and as a group, these buildings make a significant aesthetic contribution to the Cairns townscape and Abbott Street streetscape, and contribute markedly to the city's sense of physical identity and history.^[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.

It is of significance for its close association with the work of the Sisters of Mercy in expanding Catholic education in far north Queensland, and for over 80 years the place has had a strong association for the local Catholic community with the work of the Sisters of Mercy in Cairns. It remains illustrative of the work of the Augustinian fathers in the Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown (later the Diocese of Cairns), especially Bishop Murray who encouraged the erection of Catholic churches, schools, convents and presbyteries throughout far North Queensland in the early years of the 20th century.^[1]

This Wikipedia article was originally based on "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014).

Media related to St Joseph's Convent, Cairns at Wikimedia Commons