Constructed between 1958 and 1960, the high-rise apartment building Torbreck was named after a timber 1870s cottage that previously occupied the site. Torbreck (An Tòrr Breac) means ‘brow of the hill’ in Scottish Gaelic. The ridge on which Torbreck was built is a significant Aboriginal cultural site.

Located 70 metres above sea level and 14 floors high, when it opened in 1960 Torbreck Home Units heralded the beginning of high rise living in Brisbane. Before construction, developers offered potential apartment buyers helicopter rides up to the level of the apartment they were interested in, so they in could see the view for themselves. Once completed, Torbreck was the tallest residential building in Australia, although it was quickly overtaken by high rise buildings in Sydney.

Torbreck remains flanked by original low-lying Queenslander homes and is now joined by the neighbouring high rise building The Highgate, providing a stark example of how building design in Brisbane continues to change.This evolution of residential architecture is captured in Stephen Nothling’s painting Bellevue View (2020).