Returning Moana to her heritage state...

Here's a story of a fascinating heritage renovation done by Giorgio Tosoni that is part of Brisbane's history.

Moana - 88 Moray Street, New Farm, QLD

Also known as Moana Flats, this home aptly named Moana was originally constructed in the Victorian period in 1886 for politician and businessman Theodore Unmack and his family. The house was inspired by Unmack and his family holiday in Honolulu, Hawaii where they had stayed in prominent hotel 'Moana' after which the house was then named.

The home was designed by architects Banks and Carandini and is believed to be the last surviving example of their domestic architecture. Alfred Banks and Victor Carandini designed the residence. They were architects for the Queensland Building Land Society and they became partners in 1885. They worked on the designs of stables, fences, villas and three houses until their partnership dissolved in June 1887.

Moana remained a private residence until around 1923 when it was converted into flats. Moana was eventually converted back into a private residence along with artist's studio and private gallery in 1986.

Historical New Farm

By the 1890s, New Farm had developed into a fashionable Brisbane suburb due to its closeness to the major shopping precincts at Fortitude Valley and the City. The land along Bowen Terrace and Moray Street was particularly sought after as it provided views of the busy traffic passing along the Brisbane River and across the river to Kangaroo Point. As a result, the elite of Brisbane society such as the premier and attorney general Sir Samuel Griffith began constructing their residences along these streets.

Who was Theodore Unmack

Unmack was a German migrant who had arrived in Brisbane in the 1860s. He developed a successful wholesale merchant business and he became a director of the Royal Bank of Queensland and a president of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce. He also took on the responsibility of being the Queensland consul for the German Empire.

Unmack was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the member for Toowong on 19 May 1888. The proximity of Unmack’s home to Griffith’s residence may be an indication that the two men were friends, for two years after entering parliament, Griffith made Unmack his Secretary of Railways and Post Master General. Unmack held these posts until the month before he retired, on 29 April 1893.

Moana post Unmack

Moana remained the Unmack family residence until Theodore’s death on 17 December 1919. Soon after, a Miss M. Campbell purchased the property. With the New Farm tramline running past the door of Moana and because of its size, the property was ideal for conversion into flats. Miss Campbell had completed the conversion by 1922

and her Moana Flats began to take in tenants in that year. By 1925, another shed, possibly for use as a tenants’ garage, was added to the site.

Miss Campbell ran the flats through the 1930s-40s but by 1951 the property had changed hands. Subsequent owners such as T.M. May, M.A. Atkinson and U. Balanzino continued to operate Moana as flats through to the 1960s. During this time, the only major changes made to Moana were an addition to the flats in 1949 and the erection of a laundry in 1963. By the late 1990s, Moana had returned to its original usage as a family residence and it also housed a private art gallery. In 1998, Moana featured prominently in an exhibition entitled “Watercolours of New Farm” by Brisbane artist Gladys Blundell.

Moana meet Giorgio

Giorgio Tosoni joined the steep history of this home when he took on Moana in a state of disrepair and rundown and had a vision to return her to her former glory. When Giorgio purchased the home it was covered in lantana, growing all over the verandas to the point where several posts had completely rotted away and were being held in place by the lantana.

Giorgio appointed a heritage architect to assist in bringing Moana back to life. They found a small scrap of the balustrade and had it replicated to ensure that every detail was as per her original design. Restoring the home to original colours, design and aesthetic both inside and out, Giorgio was proud to revamp Moana and create a piece of Brisbane history in the modern time.