Macquarie Street, Sydney

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Macquarie Street

Central section of Macquarie Street, looking south (2011)
Macquarie Street, Sydney is located in Sydney
Northern end
Northern end
Southern end
Southern end
Coordinates
General information
TypeStreet
Length1.2 km (0.7 mi)
Major junctions
Northern endNo through road
Bennelong Point, Sydney
 
Southern endPrince Albert Road
St James Road
Sydney CBD
Location(s)
LGA(s)City of Sydney
Major suburbsSydney CBD

Macquarie Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House at its northern end. Apart from connecting these two major landmarks, the key government institutions of the state of New South Wales are all located on this street.

History

Hyde Park Barracks
Hyde Park Barracks (completed 1819)
St James' Church
St James' Church (completed 1824)
Two buildings preserved from the Macquarie era, located at the southern end of Macquarie Street.

Macquarie Street is named after

Royal Botanic Gardens
) to the east.

Among the public buildings commissioned by Macquarie, Hyde Park Barracks and St James' Church are two examples largely preserved from that era. The two buildings face each other across Queen's Square, at the southern end of Macquarie Street.

The Sydney Hospital, after rebuilding was completed in 1894.
The central section of Macquarie Street c.1900, looking south: the tall building on the right is the Colonial Secretary's Building, while on the left is the gate of the Royal Botanic Gardens leading to Government House and the Government House stables (now the Sydney Conservatorium of Music)

Upon laying out the street in 1810, Governor Macquarie also carved out land from the Domain for the building of Sydney Hospital, with its frontage on Macquarie Street. Due to the reluctance of the

Legislative Council and Executive Council, and was eventually expanded to become the Parliament House for New South Wales. The southern wing building became the Sydney Mint
, among other functions.

After Macquarie, subsequent governors and (after the establishment of

boulevarde adjacent both to the commercial city centre and the green spaces of the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Domain, the street became Sydney's most pre-eminent residential address.[4] In particular, the close proximity to Sydney Hospital and court buildings attracted leading barristers and doctors to set up chambers and surgeries along the street. In 1977, the New South Wales government built a new Law Courts Building at Queen's Square at the southern end of the street, to house the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Sydney registries of the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia
.

Burdekin House, built in 1842 and described as the finest private residence in Sydney, was located on Macquarie Street. Its demolition became an early rallying point for the conservation movement in Sydney. St Stephen's Presbyterian Church was built in 1934 on the site of Burdekin House, after an earlier St Stephen's in

Phillip Street was demolished for the creation of Martin Place.[5]

The Garden Palace, a grand building constructed for the Sydney International Exhibition in 1879, was located on Macquarie Street, but was destroyed by fire only a few years later.[6]

Fort Macquarie in 1870.

The northern section of Macquarie Street was initially a path through the Governor's Domain leading to Bennelong Point. After Government House was moved further up the hill, the path was widened and became part of Macquarie Street, leading to land to the west of the street being sold off for commercial development in the 1840s-1850s. Today, this northern section of Macquarie Street runs along the eastern side of Circular Quay. To the east of this northern section is the Royal Botanic Gardens, while to the west of the street, the historic sandstone Moore Stairs, built in 1868 leads to the waterfront.[7] In the past, this area was lined by warehouses and other shipping-related facilities focusing on the wool trade, leading to this section being called the "wool stores" end. In 1868 Moore Stairs were built to provide access between these stores down to East Circular Quay.[8] At the end of the street was Bennelong Point. From 1821 this was the site of Fort Macquarie, which in 1901 was demolished to make way for the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot, which was eventually demolished in 1958 to make way for the Sydney Opera House.

The warehouses and wharf facilities near the Opera House were progressively removed in the mid-20th century and replaced by modernist office blocks. In 1998, the Bennelong Apartments, a complex of contemporary buildings nicknamed "the Toaster", replaced the modernist office blocks. The complex includes private apartments, retail outlets, restaurants, the Pullman Quay Grand Hotel and a cinema.

"Harley Street of Sydney"

Because of the proliferation of medical chambers and surgeries, and the presence of a number of medical professional institutions, Macquarie Street was widely known as the Harley Street of Sydney from the late 19th century until recent decades. The Royal Australian College of Physicians Building[9] at 145 Macquarie Street was the Georgian residence of John Fairfax until 1848. The British Medical Association's 1920s BMA House[10] at 135–137 Macquarie Street still houses medical chambers and a lecture hall.

Government and public buildings

Government House, located within the Royal Botanic Gardens, entry is from Macquarie Street
Parliament House, near the southern terminus of Macquarie Street
Sydney Public Library, corner of Bent & Macquarie, Sydney, 1877. This building has since been demolished.

Macquarie Street is the location of the main

British government
).

Institutions of the

Federal Government located along the street include the Sydney registries of the Federal Court of Australia and High Court of Australia, both in the Law Courts Building at Queen's Square, and the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of Australia
.

Macquarie Street is also the location of Sydney Hospital, the Hyde Park Barracks and St. James' Church, which were all built during Governor Macquarie's tenure. The historic Sydney Mint building, along with the entrance building to Parliament House, are preserved remnants of the original Sydney Hospital.

The

Royal Botanic Gardens are Government House and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, originally built as the Government House stables. At the northern terminus of Macquarie Street is the iconic Sydney Opera House
.

Notable past residents

Cross streets and transportation

The southern end of Macquarie Street terminates at the northern edge of

Martin Place, Hunter Street, Bent Street, Bridge Street, Conservatorium Road and Albert Street. The Cahill Expressway crosses Macquarie Street partly as an overpass and partly as a tunnel. The northern end of Macquarie Street is a roundabout near the Sydney Opera House at Bennelong Point
.

St James railway station and Martin Place railway station on the Sydney Trains metropolitan rail network are located immediately adjacent to Macquarie Street, while Circular Quay railway station
is located nearby.

Architectural gallery

Residential chambers 131 Macquarie st
  • No. 193: Hengrove Hall (office building, mainly barristers' chambers and surgeries, completed 1928): façade detail
    No. 193: Hengrove Hall (office building, mainly barristers' chambers and surgeries, completed 1928): façade detail
  • No. 121: Chief Secretary's building (completed 1881)
    No. 121:
    Chief Secretary's building
    (completed 1881)
  • No. 135–137: British Medical Association building (completed 1930): façade detail
    No. 135–137: British Medical Association building (completed 1930): façade detail
  • Sydney Mint building (completed 1816)
    Sydney Mint building (completed 1816)
  • No. 117–119: old Treasury building (now part of InterContinental Hotel, completed 1899)
    No. 117–119: old
    Treasury building
    (now part of InterContinental Hotel, completed 1899)
  • Near Martin Place: Sydney Hospital (side wing) (rebuilt 1894)
    Near Martin Place: Sydney Hospital (side wing) (rebuilt 1894)
  • Queens Square / Macquarie Street: Hyde Park Barracks (completed 1819)
    Queens Square / Macquarie Street: Hyde Park Barracks (completed 1819)
  • State Library of New South Wales (completed 1910)
  • No. 133: History House, a surviving residential building used by the Royal Australian Historical Society (completed c.1872)
    No. 133: History House, a surviving residential building used by the Royal Australian Historical Society (completed c.1872)
  • Near Bridge Street: Sydney Conservatorium of Music (built as Government House stables, completed 1815)
    Near Bridge Street: Sydney Conservatorium of Music (built as Government House stables, completed 1815)
  • The houses on Macquarie Street, between Bent Street and Phillip Lane, Sydney 1910–1920
    The houses on Macquarie Street, between Bent Street and Phillip Lane, Sydney 1910–1920
  • The houses at 133–139 Macquarie Street, Sydney ca. 1925–1930
    The houses at 133–139 Macquarie Street, Sydney ca. 1925–1930

See also

Australian Roads portal

References

  1. ^ Munro, C. (15 September 2007). "Forever elegant on the street Lachlan built". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  2. ^ "Macquarie Street". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Rum Hospital 1811 - 1854". The Mint. Historic Houses Trust. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2006.
  4. ^ Dictionary of Sydney. "Macquarie Street". Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  5. ^ Mark Dunn (2008). "St Stephen's Presbyterian church Macquarie Street". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Garden Palace". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  7. ^ Moore Stairs
  8. ^ Preston, Jennifer (2018). "Moore Stairs". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Royal Australian College of Physicians Building (Place ID 1832)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government.
  10. ^ "BMA House (Place ID 1831)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government.

External links

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