Courting a grand life
Building limbo but arts alive
PLANS to spark the former Courthouse Hotel’s front lawn back to life with performances are pushing ahead, even as the future of the building itself hangs in limbo.
The $6.2 million refurbishment of the heritage-listed building – which served as the city’s courthouse from 1921-1992 – is set for completion by the end of the year.
Campaigning for funds to build the $40 million Cairns Gallery Precinct have been ignored by the state and federal governments since the council bought the former courthouse for $5.75 million in 2016.
It means the ultimate goal for the building remains on tenterhooks, but that does not mean it will be ignored.
The council is applying for an $80,000 grant from Arts Queensland to “activate the outdoor space of the courthouse front lawn with a series of local and state profiled collaborations” from March to
December next year. It will also bid for $100,000 to go towards a series of live music performances to reactivate venues, although they will be relegated to the Tanks Arts Centre and Munro Martin Parklands.
Mayor Bob Manning said that it was critical to bring activity to the area to show people it had a future.
“It won’t be the way it is ultimately used, but that’s tied up with the issues we’re having with the State Government and the gallery precinct,” Cr Manning said.
“We want to get the courthouse opened.
“The official opening will hopefully be done before Christmas and that will have an uplifting effect on the people of Cairns.
“We don’t want people saying it is sitting there doing nothing.” Cr Manning said that the city would maintain pressure on the State Government ahead of the election to come to the table with its onethird share to build the gallery precinct.
“I honestly can’t understand where this is at,” he said.