Sydney Town Hall

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Sydney Town Hall

The Sydney Town Hall is a landmark sandstone building in Sydney. It stands opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral. Sitting above Town Hall station and between the cinema strip on George Street and the Central Business District, the steps of the Town Hall are a popular meeting place.

History and description

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A render of the Sydney Town Hall from the 1890s (left) and The Sydney Town Hall during the Inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth in 1901. The illuminated sign reads "One people, one destiny" (right).

The Town Hall was built in the 1880s – on the site of an old cemetery – from local Sydney sandstone in the grand Victorian Second Empire style, and has been described as having "lavishly ornamented composition with focal tower and fanciful roofs".[1] It remains the only non-religious city building from the era to retain its original function and interior. The building houses the Sydney City Council Chamber, reception rooms, the Centennial Hall and offices for the Lord Mayor and elected councillors.

Sydney Town Hall as it appeared in the early 1900s facing north with St. Andrew's Cathedral to the left

The Centennial Hall (main hall) contains Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ, the world's largest pipe organ with tubular pneumatic action, built from 1886 to 1889 and installed in 1890 by the English firm of William Hill & Son. This organ possesses one of only two full-length 64′ organ stops in the world (the Contra-Trombone in the pedal). Before the opening of the Sydney Opera House and its Concert Hall, the Town Hall was Sydney's premier concert hall, and many notable performances took place there.

In the later years, it has been discovered that Town Hall lies on top of part of a cemetery complex. Renovations were undertaken in 2008/9 primarily to upgrade the mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and communication services within the building. The renovations, completed by Sydney builder Kell & Rigby, included removing 6,000 cubic meters of sandstone from underneath the building.[2] The Town Hall is listed on the Register of the National Estate and is part of the important Town Hall group of heritage-listed buildings, which also includes the Queen Victoria Building, St Andrews Cathedral, the Gresham Hotel and the former Bank of New South Wales.[3]

Present day

The Centennial Hall during the state memorial service for Gough Whitlam, 5 November 2014

The Sydney Town Hall still serves as an important presence and meeting place for the city of Sydney to this very day. The building itself regularly undergoes cleaning and restoration to preserve it for future generations. Additionally, it has been rendered with sustainability by improving energy efficiency, including smart light censors, energy efficient lighting, new roofing insulation to moderate building temperature, solar panels, and new hydraulics and storm water infrastructure.[4]

Gallery

  • The Centennial Hall with the grand organ

  • The domed ceiling

  • Detail on one of the mansards

  • South side of building

  • Queen Victoria Building and Sydney Town Hall undergoing maintenance viewed from York St, August 2014.

See also

References

  1. ↑ A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture, Apperley (Angus and Robertson) 1994, p.68
  2. ↑ City of Sydney , Old Sydney Burial Ground – City of Sydney, February 2008.
  3. ↑ The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/100
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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