General Post Office (GPO)

Until 1810, New South Wales had no regular postal service. On 26 June of that year the home of Isaac Nicholls was designated as the colonys first regular post office, under the order of Governor Macquarie. An 1825 Act of the Legislative Council provided for the regulation of postal services, including rates of postage. On 1 September 1874 the new General Post Office (GPO) was opened in Sydney.

The General Post Office 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

The General Post Office was designed by colonial architect James Barnet and 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.) 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. Australia Post maintains a presence in the form of a "Post Shop"at the corner of Martin Place and George Street.

Architecture

Barnets 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.