General Post Office (Sydney)

General Post Office (Sydney)

The General Post Office (abbreviation GPO) is a landmark building in Sydney. It is located at the western end of Martin Place (No. 1 Martin Place), between George and Pitt Streets. The main facade stretches some 100 metres down Martin Place. In 1996, as part of the disbursement of Australia Post assets by the Federal Government of Australia, the building was sold to private owners. It was subsequently refurbished and now houses shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, and the lobby of two adjoining tower blocks.

History

Designed by colonial architect James Barnet, the building was constructed in stages from 1866 to 1891. (The former GPO was demolished in 1862 but one of its six columns still stands in Mount Street Plaza, North Sydney [http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/33_setinstone.pdf] .) This building was the headquarters of the NSW postal system until 1996, when it was sold and refurbished. The building now contains shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars. The Westin hotel and Macquarie Bank office towers stand in the former courtyard, now converted into an atrium. [ cite web|title=No. 1 Martin Place|url=http://www.westin.com.au/s_fac.html|publisher=The Westin Sydney|accessdate=2007-03-22] Australia Post maintains a presence in the form of a "Post Shop" at the corner of Martin Place and George Street.

Architecture

Barnet's building features a neo-classical sandstone facade, with a colonnade running around the building at street level. Each arch of the colonnade features a carved face on the keystone (representing many parts of the British Empire and other foreign lands), and spandrel figures, whose comical references to real-life personalities (including Barnet himself) caused a controversy at the time of construction. At the centre of its 100-metre Martin Place facade is a white marble statuory group, featuring Queen Victoria flanked by allegorical figures. Above this stands the clocktower.

References

External links

* [http://www.gposydney.com/index.asp GPO Sydney]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • General Post Office (disambiguation) — The name General Post Office is or has been used by most Commonwealth countries for postal and telecommunications services.*United Kingdom, see General Post Office which operated under that name until 1969. After 1981 see Royal Mail and Post… …   Wikipedia

  • Sydney Conservatorium of Music — Established 1916 Type Public Dean Kim Walker …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand Post Office — Former type Government department Fate Split up Successor New Zealand Post Limited Telecom New Zealand Limited Post Office Bank Limited Founded 1881 (1881 …   Wikipedia

  • Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales — Sydney Olympic Park Sydney, New South Wales ANZ Stadium Established …   Wikipedia

  • Sydney Cenotaph — Infobox Military Memorial name=Sydney Cenotaph country=Australia caption= commemorates=the war dead of New South Wales from all conflicts unveiled=25 April 1927 coordinates=coord|33|52|03|S|151|12|35|E|display=inline,title nearest town=Sydney,… …   Wikipedia

  • Sydney Observatory — The observatory photographed in 1874. The obser …   Wikipedia

  • Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia — Sydney Mines (2001 population: 7,312) is a former town in Nova Scotia s Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Founded in 1784 and incorporated as a town in 1889, Sydney Mines has a rich history in coal production, although mining activity has now… …   Wikipedia

  • Post [1] — Post (v. mittellat. u. ital. Posta, für lat. positio, d. i. Stelle, Stätte, Posten), eine Staatsanstalt, durch welche Briefe u. andere zur Beförderung mit den Transportmitteln der Anstalt geeignete Gegenstände, sowie Personen mit vorausbestimmter …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Sydney Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier — Sir Sydney Haldane Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier KCMG (16 April 1859 ndash; 15 February 1943), was a British civil servant. A Fabian and a member of the Labour Party, he served as Governor of Jamaica and as Secretary of State for India in the first… …   Wikipedia

  • Sydney Markets — The Sydney Markets are a commercial enterprise in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Markets are located in the Inner West suburb of Flemington, 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”