Heritage-listed MILLBROOK transformation recognised with top construction honours

The careful transformation of a heritage-listed Toowoomba residence into a contemporary Montessori early learning service has earned JRP Building two major honours at the 2026 Downs & Western Housing & Construction Awards.

JRP Building’s work on MILLBROOK received the prestigious BUSSQ Building Super President’s Award, as well as the award for Commercial Refurbishment/Renovation from $3 million up to $10 million.

Presented by Master Builders Queensland at Rumours International Convention Centre in Toowoomba on 28 August, the awards recognise excellence across the region’s residential and commercial construction sectors.

The judging panel praised MILLBROOK as an outstanding example of heritage preservation and contemporary construction working together to create a functional education environment.

“Through precision construction, the team has seamlessly interwoven past and present to deliver a beautiful and purposeful education environment in line with Montessori principles,” the judges said.

Honouring the past while creating a new future

Now home to Millbrook Montessori, the historic residence at 9 Phillip Street has deep connections to Toowoomba’s civic, educational and medical history.

Millbrook House was originally constructed on Ruthven Street during the 1860s and was home to William Henry Groom, Toowoomba’s first mayor.

Following Mr Groom’s death, his widow Grace Groom had much of the residence relocated to its current Phillip Street site in 1902. The property later became the home and medical practice of Dr Allan Warren Rowe, who operated his surgery from the residence.

Millbrook was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2001 in recognition of its historical and cultural significance.

Local builder Josh Poynter purchased the property in January 2020, although plans to restore and repurpose the building were initially delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In late 2021, Mr Poynter began investigating how Millbrook could be transformed into an early education and care service. A subsequent conversation with early childhood professionals Nicarla Saville and Michelle Newman led to a shared vision for restoring the property and returning it to the community as a place of education, connection and learning.

Heritage features incorporated into the learning environment

The redevelopment required extensive consultation and careful planning to preserve the character and integrity of the original residence while adapting it for contemporary use.

Significant architectural elements were restored, while original materials and objects discovered during construction were retained and incorporated into the completed service.

Timber recovered from the property’s former stables was reused within a walkway, and historical artefacts uncovered during the restoration are now displayed throughout the centre.

The orchard, vegetable gardens and chicken run once maintained by Mrs Groom have also been reinstated, extending the property’s history into the children’s present-day learning environment.

These elements complement Millbrook Montessori’s focus on hands-on learning, independence, sustainability and connection with the natural environment.

A service shaped by Montessori principles

Millbrook Montessori provides early education for children from six weeks of age through to school age, with children learning within multi-age Nido, Piccolo and Casa communities.

The service was co-founded by Ms Saville and Ms Newman, who bring more than two decades of combined experience in early childhood education and Montessori practice.

Their shared vision was to create an authentic, values-driven Montessori service supporting children, families, educators and the broader Toowoomba community.

Both co-founders remain actively involved in the service’s daily operations and learning environments, working directly with children, families and educators.

The design and restoration of MILLBROOK sought to ensure that the building itself supported this educational philosophy, creating a respectful and purposeful environment while retaining the character of one of Toowoomba’s significant historic properties.

Recognition for a complex transformation

Master Builders Queensland said JRP Building undertook extensive consultation before carefully restoring key elements of the original structure.

The organisation described the redevelopment as a labour-intensive project that successfully navigated the challenges and restrictions associated with transforming a heritage-listed residence into a modern childcare facility.

Master Builders Regional Manager for Downs and Western Linda Rosengreen said the annual awards recognise the talent, perseverance and increasingly high standard of workmanship demonstrated by builders across the region.

For the early childhood education and care sector, MILLBROOK provides an example of how an existing heritage building can be thoughtfully adapted for a new educational purpose without losing the history and character that connect it to its local community.

The complete list of recipients from the 2026 Downs & Western Housing & Construction Awards is available from Master Builders Queensland.