Parramatta (Former), NSW, 2150
Posted by: 
jinkson
S 33° 48.865 E 151° 00.187
56H E 315177 N 6256627
Two storey, seven bay Victorian Mannerist sandstone building. Arcaded on both storeys with grey marble columns to upper arcade.
Waymark Code: WMEP8H
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 06/22/2012
Views: 8
Parramatta was founded in the same year as Sydney by the British in 1788 and is the oldest inland European settlement in Australia and is the economic capital of Greater Western Sydney and the sixth largest central business district in Australia. Parramatta has many buildings on the Register of the National Estate, including the former Post Office in Church Street.
Built of sandstone, this two-storey building is distinguished by the arcades. The arches of the ground floor have banded sandstone piers, while those above have granite columns. The string course between the ground floor and first floor arcades is repeated in the roof line below the parapet. The roof is Marseille tiles.
A plaque at the site reads:
"THIS BUILDING, DESIGNED BY COLONIAL ARCHITECT JAMES BARNET AND COMPLETED IN 1880, WAS USED AS A POST OFFICE UNTIL 1966. RESTORATION WAS CARRIED OUT FOR TELECOM AUSTRALIA IN 1979 TO ALLOW THE BUILDING TO FUNCTION AS A TELECOM BUSINESS OFFICE."
James Barnet joined the Colonial Architect's Office in 1860. By 1865, he had became Colonial Architect and served in this position for 25 years. Barnet's work in Sydney signalled its maturation from a Georgian town to a Victorian city. His work contributed to a sense of stability and civic pride and includes :
The Australian Museum (1864)
The GPO in Martin Place (1866-90)
The Colonial Secretary's building (1878)
The Lands Department building (1876-81, 1888-93)
Further afield, Barnet designed 169 post and telegraph offices, 130 courthouses, 155 police stations, 110 lock-ups and 20 lighthouses.
The building appears to be unoccupied at the moment and apparently was turned into a bar / lounge in 2008 which has since closed.
Parramatta Post Office (former) Church St, Parramatta, NSW, Australia
List: Register of the National Estate (Non-statutory archive)
Class: Historic
Legal Status: Registered (21/03/1978)
Place ID: 3037
Place File No: 1/14/028/0020
State/Territory: NSW
Post Boxes: No
Historical Significance: Yes
Current use: No
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a log to an existing Australia Post waymark, you will need to post a unique picture of the Australia Post sign. Including your GPS device in the picture is not neccesary and wouldn't be cause for disapproval, as long as all other details of your log are acceptable.