1917: The first foundation stone is laid for a new Brisbane City Hall.

1919: In a second attempt to arrive at a design for a new City Hall, the Brisbane City Council commissions architects Thomas Ramsay Hall and George Gray Prentice to produce a fresh design.

1920: The Prince of Wales lays the second foundation stone.

1925: The design specifies a restaurant in the basement on the corner of Adelaide and Albert Streets, with the entrance from Adelaide Street.

1926: Lord Mayor W.A. Jolly recommends replacing the planned restaurant with a suite of centrally located rest rooms for women and children. This suite of rooms is to include a tearoom.

1930: The new City Hall opens in April. The Lord Mayor announces the anticipated opening of the ladies’ rest rooms within a month.

The rest rooms become highly popular, offering a range of services: attendants serve low-cost tea, milk and snacks. They also manage a parcel storage facility for visitors.

In time, the rooms come to be known by a number of different names, the most enduring being the Red Cross Tea Rooms.

1931: An immunisation clinic operates in the City Council Health Department on the second floor of City Hall. The Red Cross delivers the medical services.

1936: A lengthy newspaper article extols the merits of the rest rooms as a popular rendezvous for women in the city, open from 8 am to 5 pm, later extended until 7.30 pm on weekdays and special holidays. In time, closing hours are extended to 11 pm.

1938: Patrons of the rooms advocate redecorating them and providing more comfortable furnishings.

1941: In response to appeals for improvements to the rooms, an extensive renovation is undertaken. The space is almost doubled and numerous alterations extend the kitchen, toilet block and mothering room. Renovations include a small dressing room, light-toned paint on the walls and more comfortable furniture.

1947: The immunisation clinic is moved from the second floor of City Hall to a suite of rooms on the first floor, closer to the women’s rest rooms. These rooms include a special change room for babies, and a separate exit to isolate crying children who have been vaccinated from those who await their ‘needle’. The move is also designed to prevent the sound of crying children from upsetting Council employees. Mothers will benefit from proximity to the tearoom and other amenities in the rest rooms.

Further relocations of the immunisation clinic to smaller accommodation follow earlier moves. The reduced quarters include a suite of rooms for Red Cross use. These smaller rooms, situated along a corridor stretching behind the tea counter, include a clinic, a mothers’ room with showers and a small office.

1953: The City Council announces plans to expand, modernise and redecorate the women’s rest rooms, which now attract over 150 women per day. The renovations include provision of a lounge area, a writing room, telephones, baggage storage and a toiletries requisites shop, in addition to the existing facilities. Showers are to be provided for working women who wish to go out for the evening after work.

1960s: Further alterations to the rest rooms include new furnishings and light fittings, and the addition of decorative pot plants.

1976: Vietnamese refugees fleeing war begin to arrive in Australia after a dangerous passage by sea in small boats. A poster written in Vietnamese appears in the women’s rest rooms.

1977: Renovations to the former Council Electricity Department commence and the area is converted to an immunisation clinic, with an adjacent large waiting area.

1980s: The City Council proposes closing the rooms due to funding concerns. There is a public protest against the possible loss of the rest rooms. As a result of this outcry, the rooms remain open.

1981: During the electricity strike, the women’s rest rooms use a gas-generated power supply.

The Queensland government, under then Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, puts in place a strategic plan to redevelop the face of Brisbane. The plan includes recommendations to introduce casinos, redevelop Queen Street as a mall and extend trading hours. The plan also includes bidding for World Expo ’88.

Politician Vince Lester introduces the idea of outward swinging toilet doors.

1985: SEQEB electricity workers strike again. In response, the Queensland government dismisses over 900 linesmen. There are violent demonstrations in New Farm and religious leaders protest against the ban on unionists.

Unaccompanied men are asked to leave the tea room but a Mr John Campbell protests that this is unfair discrimination.

1988: The Australian Red Cross, Queensland, assumes management of the rooms, with financial support from the City Council. Under this new regime the rooms are made available to homeless men as well as to the established female clientele. The Red Cross also transfers its hospitality training service and equipment to the rooms. The objective is to provide work experience for trainees and simple, low-cost hot meals to the patrons of the rooms.

1994: The City Council again proposes closing the Red Cross Tea Rooms due to costs, but considers retaining the rest rooms. There is another vigorous public outcry, resulting in the retention of the tea room.

1997: An assessment of the general condition of City Hall imposes urgent, comprehensive renovations and repairs due to problems caused by flooding and seepage. The City Council considers demolishing the existing edifice, but after further deliberation decides to retain and renovate the heritage structure. The National Trust and the City Council collaborate to raise $215 million to repair the building.

2001: The Red Cross introduces a supervised Night Café in the rooms. The café operates for a two-hour period, one or two evenings a week, to serve the needs of homeless youth. The City Council and other funding sources support the service.

2009: The City Hall is closed for renovations and the Night Café is relocated to the Albert Park Flexi-School on Hale Street and Milton Road. A sign posted at the closed door of the rest rooms directs youth to a pickup service operating from 6.45 pm to 7.45 pm so that young people can access the new site. The City Council continues to support this project under the auspices of the Lord Mayor’s Trust.

2013 The City Hall reopens. As an initiative of the Australian Red Cross, Queensland, the renovated building includes new-generation rest rooms and showers. A commercial coffee shop, the Commix Café, takes the place of the former tearoom.

The area behind the tea counter where the Red Cross rooms were once located is put to new use as office space and storage. These rooms are closed to the public.