Pyrmont Post Office

Pyrmont Post Office
Pyrmont Post Office, 1902
Location 148 Harris Street, Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 33°52′09″S 151°11′38″E / 33.8693°S 151.1940°E / -33.8693; 151.1940Coordinates: 33°52′09″S 151°11′38″E / 33.8693°S 151.1940°E / -33.8693; 151.1940
Official name: Pyrmont Post Office
Type Listed place (Historic)
Designated 22 June 2004
Reference no. 105510
Location of Pyrmont Post Office in Sydney

Pyrmont Post Office is a heritage-listed former post office and now bank branch office at 148 Harris Street, Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004.[1]

History

Pyrmont was isolated from early Sydney and initial development in the area was generally related to waterfront industries, such as shipyards. The establishment of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company shipyard on Darling Island, plus several other industrial enterprises, including Charles Saunders' stone quarry, brought a residential population of workers, though anyone of means tended to travel to the area from somewhere more desirable. The opening of the Pyrmont Bridge across Darling Harbour in the 1850s facilitated development in both industry and population. Several large businesses became established in Pyrmont in the late nineteenth century, including Colonial Sugar Refinery (CSR) and the woolstores began to move here during the 1880s. A new bridge in 1901, the opening of the power stations (Ultimo Power Station in 1899 and Pyrmont Power Station in 1904) and the extension of wharfage around the waterfront from Darling Harbour cemented the industrial character of the peninsula and it remained this way until after the end of World War II. With only a few notable exceptions, residential development remained largely working class and in fact progressively reduced in size as the new industries demolished housing to accommodate larger premises. After World War II, though, most of the characterising industries either ceased operating or moved to other locations. Since the 1970s, redevelopment of the area has moved slowly, with numerous schemes and proposals. Many of the industrial buildings have been demolished or converted to other uses.

A temporary post office existed for some years in Harris Street before the local Member of the Legislative Assembly, Francis Abigail, requested a more substantial facility in 1882. Premises were rented from Francis Buckle in Union Street and Frederick Lassre was appointed postmaster, a position he held until his death in 1905. The new post office was opened by Edward William O'Sullivan, Minister for Public Works, on 19 January, 1901,[2] having been built by day labour using surplus Pyrmont sandstone from the construction of the General Post Office (GPO) and Customs House buildings. The building cost £4,347 and was designed by New South Wales Government Architect Walter Liberty Vernon. It continued to function as the post office for Pyrmont for many years and remains a key part of the civic centre.[1]

In December 2009, the post office building became the Pyrmont Community Branch of the Bendigo Bank.[3]

Description

Pyrmont Post Office is at 148 Harris Street, corner Union Street, Pyrmont.[1]

The post office is a two storey building built mainly of rock faced sandstone and it stands on the corner of Harris and Union Streets. Details are in dressed and moulded stone. The Marseille tile roof is gabled and hipped behind a parapet. The Union Street facade faces the splayed corner of the block and has a massive ground floor entry arch. Over the arch is a dressed and moulded stone archivolt ending in rosettes. On either side is a small sash window. Above the arch, on the first floor, is a balcony with two columns. Above this is a stone cornice supported by scrolls and then there is a parapet which steps down behind where the post office abuts the bank next door. There is a string course between the floors. On the Harris Street elevation the ground floor is dominated by two Diocletian windows with dressed and moulded archivolts. The first floor has four sash windows, which like all the windows feature multiple panes in the upper half or upper sash. The parapeted gable has a round vent and the gable ends in a scroll. The basement was originally part of the living quarters of the postmaster. The Diocletian windows, the parapeted gable with scroll, the contrast between rough and smooth stonework and the use of multiple panes in the upper sashes are all features of Federation Free Style design, of which Vernon was a notable practitioner. The building is a prominent one, fronting onto Pyrmont Square and its scale and materials assist the cohesiveness of this central precinct.[1]

Condition

As at 1996, the building was still in use as a post office and is in good condition, with a high level of integrity. The entrance was slightly altered in the 1950s.[1]

Heritage listing

Pyrmont Post Office, dating from 1901, has historical importance for its association with the development of Pyrmont/Ultimo which, by the turn of the century, was a key industrial and warehouse suburb of inner Sydney. The construction of a permanent postal building, at the time, illustrates the consolidation of the peninsula's infrastructure during the period. Sited prominently on a major intersection fronting onto Pyrmont Square and complementing other buildings nearby, the post office is an important element in the streetscape.[1]

Pyrmont Post Office was listed on the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004 having satisfied the following criteria.[1]

Criterion D: Characteristic values

The building, with its Diocletian and other windows, its contrasting finishes to stonework, its parapeted gable with scroll and other features reflects well the characteristics of Federation Free style architecture.[1]

Criterion H: Significant people

Additional significance is attributable to the fact that the building was designed by New South Wales (NSW) Government Architect, W L Vernon.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Pyrmont Post Office (Place ID 105510)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of the Environment. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  2. ↑ "MINISTERIAL VISIT TO PYRMONT". The Sydney Morning Herald (19, 612). New South Wales, Australia. 19 January 1901. p. 14. Retrieved 23 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "Pyrmont Community Bank® Branch Newsletter" (PDF). Bendigo Bank. Winter 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.

Bibliography

  • Apperly, Richard et al, 1989, Identifying Australian Architecture. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.
  • National Trust of Australia (N.S.W.), Register.
  • Matthews, M., 1982, Pyrmont & Ultimo: A History. Michael R. Matthews, Sydney.
  • Fitzgerald, S., & Golder, H., 1994, Pyrmont & Ultimo: Under Siege. Hale & Iremonger, Sydney.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Pyrmont Post Office, entry number 105510 in the Australian Heritage Database published by the Commonwealth of Australia 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 23 September 2018.

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