St Mary's Catholic Church, South Brisbane, is a late 19th-century rendered brick church designed by Brisbane architects, Simkin and Ibler and constructed by Woollam and Norman in 1892-1893.
At the time of its opening on 2 July 1893, construction of the church was not finalised.
The proposed tower, transepts and chancel were never built and it was not until 1929 a permanent sanctuary was added to the eastern end of the church to the design of architects Cavanagh and Cavanagh.
The former presbytery (now parish house), built at about the same time as the church, was completed by February 1893.

St Mary's was the second Catholic church to be built in South Brisbane and was built adjacent to the first church, a small wooden chapel erected in 1865.
The chapel was expanded in 1868 when two aisles were added almost doubling its size.
Sparsely inhabited in 1861, the population was only 1,080, South Brisbane was a small but growing residential suburb.
By 1871 the number of inhabitants had increased to 4,222.

In the 1880s, Brisbane experienced an economic and building boom and South Brisbane's population trebled, reaching 22,849 in 1891.
The connection of the rail network and the development of commercial, industrial and dockside activities on the southern banks of the river further contributed to South Brisbane's growth.
The Municipality of South Brisbane was declared in 1888.
As residential suburbs expanded the population of the old municipality of Brisbane decreased, by more than 2,000 between 1886 and 1891.

The expansion of the population meant that the chapel was no longer adequate to the needs of the South Brisbane congregation and a meeting was held in August 1889 to discuss the construction of a new and larger church.
The Catholic Church had begun acquiring allotments adjoining the original church reserve in 1884 and by 1889 it had amassed considerable land at the northwest end of the block bounded by Cordelia, Peel and Merivale streets.
Fund raising for the construction of a new church commenced in 1890 and by the end of 1891 half the cost of the building had been collected.
Architects Simkin and Ibler produced drawings of the proposed church.
An imposing edifice with Italianate and Romanesque revival details, it was designed to accommodate a congregation of 800 people.

George Simkin and John Ibler were architects practising in Brisbane in the 1880s who joined in partnership from 1889 to 1894.
One of their early projects, the Breakfast Creek Hotel, is a well-known Brisbane landmark.
Much of their work together was for the Roman Catholic Church and included important commissions such as Dara, Archbishop Dunne's residence at Petrie Bight, St Stephen's Roman Catholic Girls School in Charlotte Street and a convent for the Sisters of Mercy in Warwick, Our Lady of Assumption Convent, now a private building called the Cloisters.
Simkin and Ibler worked in a variety of architectural styles and their designs are noted for an eclectic, sometimes flamboyant, use of ornament.
At St Mary's, described at the time of opening as having the Basilica form of plan and an architectural style derived from "a phase of early Italian", ornamental details drawn from a variety of sources are elegantly combined to enliven a traditional plan and arrangement.
The style of the church, which combines Romanesque and Renaissance revival elements, was not common at the time as most 19th-century churches were designed in the Gothic revival style.

Cardinal Patrick Francis Moran laid the foundation stone of the new church on 25 September 1892 at a ceremony attended by Archbishop Robert Dunne (Brisbane), Archbishop Thomas Carr (Melbourne) and other high-ranking clergy.
Blessed and opened by Archbishop Dunne on 2 July 1893, St Mary's cost £2,150 to build.
Despite the economic crisis and devastating floods of the early 1890s, £1,473 had already been raised for the project and a further £400 was collected at the opening.
Due to the limited funds only part of the proposed church was built, the nave and aisles.
The concrete rendering was postponed and several parts
St Mary's Catholic Church, South Brisbane, is a late 19th-century rendered brick church designed by Brisbane architects, Simkin and Ibler and constructed by Woollam and Norman in 1892-1893. At the time of its opening on 2 July 1893, construction of the church was not finalised. The proposed tower, transepts and chancel were never built and it was not until 1929 a permanent sanctuary was added to the eastern end of the church to the design of architects Cavanagh and Cavanagh. The former presbytery (now parish house), built at about the same time as the church, was completed by February 1893.
St Mary's was the second Catholic church to be built in South Brisbane and was built adjacent to the first church, a small wooden chapel erected in 1865. The chapel was expanded in 1868 when two aisles were added almost doubling its size. Sparsely inhabited in 1861, the population was only 1,080, South Brisbane was a small but growing residential suburb. By 1871 the number of inhabitants had increased to 4,222.
In the 1880s, Brisbane experienced an economic and building boom and South Brisbane's population trebled, reaching 22,849 in 1891. The connection of the rail network and the development of commercial, industrial and dockside activities on the southern banks of the river further contributed to South Brisbane's growth. The Municipality of South Brisbane was declared in 1888. As residential suburbs expanded the population of the old municipality of Brisbane decreased, by more than 2,000 between 1886 and 1891.
The expansion of the population meant that the chapel was no longer adequate to the needs of the South Brisbane congregation and a meeting was held in August 1889 to discuss the construction of a new and larger church. The Catholic Church had begun acquiring allotments adjoining the original church reserve in 1884 and by 1889 it had amassed considerable land at the northwest end of the block bounded by Cordelia, Peel and Merivale streets. Fund raising for the construction of a new church commenced in 1890 and by the end of 1891 half the cost of the building had been collected. Architects Simkin and Ibler produced drawings of the proposed church. An imposing edifice with Italianate and Romanesque revival details, it was designed to accommodate a congregation of 800 people.
George Simkin and John Ibler were architects practising in Brisbane in the 1880s who joined in partnership from 1889 to 1894. One of their early projects, the Breakfast Creek Hotel, is a well-known Brisbane landmark. Much of their work together was for the Roman Catholic Church and included important commissions such as Dara, Archbishop Dunne's residence at Petrie Bight, St Stephen's Roman Catholic Girls School in Charlotte Street and a convent for the Sisters of Mercy in Warwick, Our Lady of Assumption Convent, now a private building called the Cloisters. Simkin and Ibler worked in a variety of architectural styles and their designs are noted for an eclectic, sometimes flamboyant, use of ornament. At St Mary's, described at the time of opening as having the Basilica form of plan and an architectural style derived from "a phase of early Italian", ornamental details drawn from a variety of sources are elegantly combined to enliven a traditional plan and arrangement. The style of the church, which combines Romanesque and Renaissance revival elements, was not common at the time as most 19th-century churches were designed in the Gothic revival style.
Cardinal Patrick Francis Moran laid the foundation stone of the new church on 25 September 1892 at a ceremony attended by Archbishop Robert Dunne (Brisbane), Archbishop Thomas Carr (Melbourne) and other high-ranking clergy. Blessed and opened by Archbishop Dunne on 2 July 1893, St Mary's cost £2,150 to build. Despite the economic crisis and devastating floods of the early 1890s, £1,473 had already been raised for the project and a further £400 was collected at the opening. Due to the limited funds only part of the proposed church was built, the nave and aisles. The concrete rendering was postponed and several parts 
St Mary's Church, South Brisbane