To mark the anniversary of the Sydney Siege, I am revisiting my blog about the history of Martin Place. The Lindt cafe has made the area recognised as a terrorist site now but looking back at the below picture, it's clear that the former thoroughfare was a very busy part of the Sydney CBD.
MARTIN PLACE, SYDNEY c1900
Moore Street as it was first known, became Martin Place in 1891, named after Sir James Martin, Premier of New South Wales and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW.
The Sydney GPO Post Office was the first signature building on the site being opened in stages from 1866-1891 and was designed by Colonial architect James Barnett. It now holds the address of Number 1 Martin Place.
Number 2 Martin Place was built in the same era as Number 1 and is known as the Bank of Australasia Building. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia merged with ANZ.
In 1907, Number 4 Martin Place was built and is called Challis House, bought originally by the University of Sydney and still part of its property portfolio.
In 1916 these buildings were dwarfed by the 12 storey high Commonwealth Bank Building on the corner of Pitt Street. this was the first skyscraper in Australia, built for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the country's central bank at the time.
In 1927, stonemasons working on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge built the Cenotaph which lies between the GPO Building and Challis House, out of Moruya granite. This serves as the centrepiece of Sydney's Anzac Day Dawn Service, which commemorates those who served in WWI and subsequent conflicts.
But in the second half of the twentieth century however, Martin Place changed radically.
Right up until the 1960s, traffic flowed up and down the hill that Martin Place lies.
We even used to have these green and yellow Double Decker buses!
Then in 1971, Martin Place was completely closed to traffic and it metamorphosed into the cascading plaza as we know it today.
Soon after came the controversial MLC Centre construction in 1977, which saw the demolition of several historical buildings.
Designed by Harry Siedler, it was the tallest reinforced concrete office building in the world upon its opening and at that time, it was the tallest building in the world outside of North America!
Ironically it now houses the US Consulate :-)
Other buildings famously adorn Martin Place such as the Reserve Bank of Australia building, Henry Davis York building, State Savings Bank building, and the Colonial building which houses Channel Seven's news desk and Morning television studios.
Martin Place even received it's own city underground railway station as part of the Bondi Junction line that opened in 1979 and lies between Town Hall and Kings Cross Station.
Today Martin Place is a very popular meeting place and holds significant yearly events in addition to the Anzac Day commemorations. Outdoor concerts are often held in the amphitheatre and every November the enormous Christmas Tree is erected in the centre of Martin Place.
The Occupy Sydney protest has been maintaining a presence since 15th October 2011 and has the support of the current Lord Mayor. Look it up if you want to know what it's about :-)
But with all the upgrades of Martin Place, its charm is still the large collection of neo-classical buildings which have been transformed into cafes and hotels to provide a leisurely use of this picturesque part of Sydney.
Take your time exploring Martin Place but pick your time wisely as it is a very busy pedestrian hub.
Enjoy the history, the charm and the coffee.
J G S
MARTIN PLACE, SYDNEY c1900
Moore Street as it was first known, became Martin Place in 1891, named after Sir James Martin, Premier of New South Wales and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW.
The Sydney GPO Post Office was the first signature building on the site being opened in stages from 1866-1891 and was designed by Colonial architect James Barnett. It now holds the address of Number 1 Martin Place.
Number 2 Martin Place was built in the same era as Number 1 and is known as the Bank of Australasia Building. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia merged with ANZ.
In 1907, Number 4 Martin Place was built and is called Challis House, bought originally by the University of Sydney and still part of its property portfolio.
In 1916 these buildings were dwarfed by the 12 storey high Commonwealth Bank Building on the corner of Pitt Street. this was the first skyscraper in Australia, built for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the country's central bank at the time.
In 1927, stonemasons working on the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge built the Cenotaph which lies between the GPO Building and Challis House, out of Moruya granite. This serves as the centrepiece of Sydney's Anzac Day Dawn Service, which commemorates those who served in WWI and subsequent conflicts.
But in the second half of the twentieth century however, Martin Place changed radically.
Right up until the 1960s, traffic flowed up and down the hill that Martin Place lies.
We even used to have these green and yellow Double Decker buses!
Then in 1971, Martin Place was completely closed to traffic and it metamorphosed into the cascading plaza as we know it today.
Soon after came the controversial MLC Centre construction in 1977, which saw the demolition of several historical buildings.
Designed by Harry Siedler, it was the tallest reinforced concrete office building in the world upon its opening and at that time, it was the tallest building in the world outside of North America!
Ironically it now houses the US Consulate :-)
Other buildings famously adorn Martin Place such as the Reserve Bank of Australia building, Henry Davis York building, State Savings Bank building, and the Colonial building which houses Channel Seven's news desk and Morning television studios.
Martin Place even received it's own city underground railway station as part of the Bondi Junction line that opened in 1979 and lies between Town Hall and Kings Cross Station.
Today Martin Place is a very popular meeting place and holds significant yearly events in addition to the Anzac Day commemorations. Outdoor concerts are often held in the amphitheatre and every November the enormous Christmas Tree is erected in the centre of Martin Place.
The Occupy Sydney protest has been maintaining a presence since 15th October 2011 and has the support of the current Lord Mayor. Look it up if you want to know what it's about :-)
But with all the upgrades of Martin Place, its charm is still the large collection of neo-classical buildings which have been transformed into cafes and hotels to provide a leisurely use of this picturesque part of Sydney.
Take your time exploring Martin Place but pick your time wisely as it is a very busy pedestrian hub.
Enjoy the history, the charm and the coffee.
J G S
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