Russell Street Heritage Office

This project involved a comprehensive building audit and forensic site investigation of the former Toowoomba Permanent Building Society building at 2 Russell Street, a State Heritage-listed landmark designed by prominent Toowoomba architect William Hodgen and constructed in 1934.

The building occupies an important place in Queensland's history, having served as the headquarters of one of Australia's earliest permanent building societies, established in 1875 and recognised as a key contributor to home ownership and regional development across the Darling Downs.

With extensive experience with heritage listed building, Petrie were engaged to investigate ongoing water ingress and building performance issues, our team drew upon extensive expertise in construction, architecture and building diagnostics to assess the heritage fabric and identify the root causes of defects. Detailed investigations were undertaken across roofing systems, façade interfaces, flashings, drainage paths and historical building alterations, allowing us to distinguish between age-related deterioration and design or construction shortcomings.

The resulting audit provided a clear pathway for rectification works, helping preserve the long-term integrity and heritage value of this significant Toowoomba building while ensuring future maintenance and restoration works could be delivered with confidence.

Client: Private. Location: Toowoomba City, Toowoomba Year: 2026