Sydney Town Hall, 483 George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
S 33° 52.395 E 151° 12.400
56H E 334133 N 6250450
The 19th-century Sydney Town Hall is a major landmark in the heart of the city, with its steps possibly Sydney's best-used rendezvous point. This fine Victorian building has hosted major civic, community and cultural celebrations.
Waymark Code: WMW054
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 06/19/2017
Views: 4
Built more than 130 years ago and one of the grandest surviving buildings in Australia, the 19th-century Sydney Town Hall contains the Council Chamber, reception rooms, the Centennial Hall and offices for the Lord Mayor and elected councillors. Sydney Town Hall is a great example of the Victorian/Beaux-Arts (Second Empire) design concepts.
The foundation stone of the original building was laid by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1868 and the replaced entrance portico and steps were opened in 1934 by the Duke of Gloucester after the original entrance was weakened by work on the underground railway.
The Town Hall's lavish ornamentation and fanciful roofs highlight the building's Victorian Second Empire styling. Its homogenous use of sandstone, rich decoration, excellent craftsmanship, glorious Victorian interiors, intricate fenestration and complex roof profiles all serve to illustrate the singular creative achievement represented by the building.
The complex is a remarkable composition in Pyrmont sandstone, designed in Victorian Second Empire style. The style is illustrated by the building's lavish ornamentation, the fanciful roofs and the focal point tower. Sydney Town Hall reflects late nineteenth century prosperity and the era's love of display.
The lower attached columns are essentially Ionic, while the upper columns are Corinthian, the whole highly ornamented exterior being matched by a richly decorated and modelled interior. The structure is essentially load-bearing brick and concrete with sandstone facing, stuccoed interior, steel-framed hall roof and basement and steel roof, forming two main floors, attic storey and basement. The Centennial Hall is impressive, seating 2,535 persons on a lower floor and galleries on three sides. The ceiling is richly panelled and coffered (zinc) and the space is lit by stained glass in natural lighting from clerestory windows depicting almost every variety of Australian flora. The most significant element in the hall is the grand organ which has over 8,500 pipes and is one of the most powerful in the world. The vestibule is of imposing dimensions as it was the original meeting hall and is richly decorated in moulded plaster work and marble floor. The dominant feature is the magnificent arched dome with coffering and clerestory lighting consisting of twelve stained glass windows. The interior lighting is given by a large crystal chandelier consisting of 1,952 pieces. Further interest is given by a series of historic bronze plaques on the walls. The northern and southern marble staircases consist of sandstone wing walls, piers and arches. There are white marble steps and coloured marble newels each lit by a series of imposing stained glass windows depicting Australia as a robed female figure and Captain James Cook, each flanked by examples of Australian flora. The main lobbies and corridors of the original Town Hall have ornate plaster ceilings, unusual tiling to lower sections of walls, richly carved cedar doors and other joinery and many historic bronze wall plaques. The council chambers, reception room and mayor's office are all impressive spaces with carved cedar joinery and intricately moulded plaster decorations to walls and ceilings.
The building is located on George Street (the city's main thoroughfare) and is very important in terms of streetscape and townscape values. The clock tower successfully terminates the York Street vista.
Source: Australian Heritage Database and City of Sydney website (
visit link)
Register of the National Estate (Non-statutory archive)
Class Historic
Legal Status Registered (21/03/1978)
Place ID 1904
Place File No 1/12/036/0111