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Sydney's General Post Office

Revisions.

General Post Office
The GPO as viewed from Pitt Street
Alternative names	GPO
General information
Status	Completed
Architectural style	Victorian Free Classical
Location	Martin Place, Sydney, Australia
Current tenants	The Westin Macquaire Bank
Construction started	1866
Completed	1891
Opened	1 September 1874
Renovated	1996
Design and construction
Architect(s)	James Barnet
Other designers	1866 John Young 1898 Walter Liberty Vernon
Renovating team
Architect(s)	1999 Buchan Group 1999 Clive Lucas Stapleton

The General Post Office (abbreviation GPO) is a landmark building located in Martin Place, Sydney, Australia.

The primary north-facing façade, described as the "finest example of the Victorian Italian Renaissance Style" of architecture stretches 114 metres along Martin Place and as a result, makes it one of the largest sandstone buildings in Sydney.

Having remained as the headquarters of Australia_Post since its completion, the GPO was privatised and sold in 1996 as part of the disbursement of assets by the Federal Government of Australia. Through the works of Sydney based architectural practice Clive, Lucas & Stapleton, the GPO was subsequently refurbished and now houses shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, and the lobby of two adjoining tower blocks. Despite significant internal alterations and additions, the façade has remained virtually unchanged and is listed both on the Commonwealth Heritage List and the New South Wales State Heritage Register, as recognition of its architectural and social significance to the history of Australia.

Today, day-to-day counter postal services are located on the George Street frontage and is known as the Sydney GPO Post Shop. General Post Office post boxes and Poste restante services are now located in the Australia Post site in the Hunter Connection, on the corner of George Street and Hunter Street.

Location

It is located at the western end of Martin Place (No. 1 Martin Place), between George and Pitt Streets.

[edits completed in GPO]

History

Before European settlement (pre-1788)

The location of the original and current GPOs both fall within the country of the Cadigal (Gadigal) people, a part of the Eora Aboriginal nation within the Sydney region and one of the many hundreds of communities which make up the Indigenous peoples of Australia. Historically noted for being a harbour-dwelling clan, the Cadigal people inhabited the shorelines stretching from inner South Head to the Eastern Suburbs, and west to Warrane (or War-ran, now known as Sydney_Cove) and also along parts of today's City_of_Sydney to Gomora (now known as Darling_Harbour). The current site of the General Post Office is also situated over the now entirely enclosed Tank Stream, which was once the primary source of fresh water for the Penal Colony of New South Wales, shortly aftef the arrival the First Fleet on 26 January 1788, under the direction of Arthur Philip, the First Governor.

The first Sydney post office (1819 - 1848)

Prior to the construction of the current GPO building, Sydney's first post office was built along Bent Street in 1819. The current site of the GPO did not become associated with the postal service until 1830, when the Bent Street post office was moved to its site on George Street. It was also at this time that a former police office (designed by Francis Greenway), situated on the current George Street facing site of the GPO was also converted to be part of the postal service in the 1830s. This land was purchased by the Governor Lachlan Macquarie for "a hogshead of brandy and either £30 or £50."

This new post office along George Street was designed by several other early colonial architects including Mr. Abraham and Mr. Mortimer Lewis. Both these people are attributed with the design of the Roman Doric hexastyle portico, for the first time, setting this public building apart from its surrounding commercial shops. Writing about the newly modified post office in 1848, Joseph Fowles commented that it was "one of the most important buildings in the colony, not merely as regars to the structure, but as being the centre and focus, the heart, as it may be termed, from which the pulse of the civilisation throbs to the remotest extremity of the land."

Post office strain and Board of Enquiry (1848 - 1866)

Despite several alterations to the Post Office on George Street, by 1851, a special Board of Enquiry established by the colonial government had concluded that "the building [is] very ill-adapted for the business required to be carried out in it..." Further alterations were added in an attempt to relieve some pressure on the mail service, but nevertheless, the lack of amenities was a source of complaint by workers and one staff member in 1853 described how "the stench in this room is at times so unbearable as to hinder us materially in the performance of our duties.' Continued rapid growth and population rise, particularly in New South Wales had placed significant strain on the postal services and the post office building itself, which had now become a public and government concern due to its gross overcrowding and that the system of handling mail was rapidly descending into the danger of collapsing entirely.

Despite these growing problems, the building remained in use but, by 1863, the situation had worsened such that the Doric building had been entirely abandoned and a larger temporary wooden structure to serve as a temporary post office in Wynyard Square (now Wynyard Park) was erected at a government cost of £4,000. It was at this time that James Barnet, having recently been appointed the first Colonial Architect of New South Wales, was instructed to prepare plans for a new Post Office on the George Street segment of the present site. Although his intention had always been to create a much grander civic structure, it has also been documented that Barnet entertained suggestions that the existing Doric portico be retained and a new, larger structure be erected behind it. This idea was unique for its time as it was "almost certainly" the first time in Australian architectural history that contemplation for 'retaining' and 'recycling' an existing historic building had been documented. Eventually however, the Doric post office was demolished and today one of its six columns still stands in Mount Street Plaza, North Sydney whilst nother can be found off Bradleys Head, Mosman.

Barnet's GPO first stage construction (1866-1874)

Artist's impression of the time for the future extension of the GPO and creation of a public square. c. 1872

Following the demolition of the old post office, the Wynyard 'temporary' building would continue to serve as the post office for ten years whilst Barnet oversaw the first stage construction of his GPO. The designs which he had begun in 1863 were completed and submitted for approval in February 1865. Political changes however led to delays for the excavation and foundation works and tenders for the building's main construction did not go out until October 1866. On 17 December 1866, it was announced that builder John Young was awarded the contract for "carpenters, joiners, slaters, plumbers, painters and glaziers. His tender for masons and bricklayers was also accepted [whilst]...the commission for ironworks went to P.N. Russell and Co."

Early progress proved to be a slow and difficult process, particularly due to the need to enclose the Tank Stream running below the foundations and to ensure construction would not affect adjoining buildings. In April 1869, The Duke of Edinburgh, Alfred (later known as The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria, set the keystone of the George Street entrance for the Post Office. A prominent newspaper of the time reported that the "ponderous keystone" was quarried at Pyrmont and weighted 26 tons (26.5 metric tonnes), highlighting that it was one of many such stones used in the construction of the building and described as being "without parallel in the city."

Completion of the First Stage of Barnet's GPO facing George Street and the widening of St. Martin's Lane (Now Martin Place)

As construction works progressed, public interest and attention turned increasingly to the future of this civic structure. Shortly after the official keystone setting ceremony, on 8 September 1869, news reports began anticipating how "the building will be one of the finest specimens of architecture in the colony - a credit to the city, and a monument to the ability of the colonial Architect by whom it was designed." It was also at this time that suggestions for the widening of the adjacent St. Martin's Lane began, with a newspaper commenting on 20 January 1870 that "a decent thoroughfare...would add to the architectural reputation of the city; but, without such an approach, it will probably furnish a subject for the laughter and contempt of strangers who may visit us." Despite this growing public interest, significant works to transform the lane way into what is now known as Martin Place would not be discussed in government circles until 1889, near the completion of the second stage of the GPO.

With the steady progress of works, the first stage of the General Post Ofice building was completed in 1874 and on 1 September, a grand official opening ceremony was held with 1,500 guests, in celebration of the occasion. Attended once again by Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the celebrations began during the evening, with a private conversazione hosted by His Excellency The Right Honourable Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, the then Governor of New South Wales and his wife, the Honourable Lady Robinson within the GPO itself. The room was described as "overflowing by a fashionable assemblage of ladies and gentlemen...very pleasingly and artistically adorned by magnificent works of art, flowers, plants and statues."

The official opening ceremony speech was made by the General Post Office the postmaster-general, (Sir) Saul Samuel who paid a glowing tribute to the work of Barnet. Barnet, who was himself also present at the opening ceremony gave a speech in which he hoped that the GPO would be "taken as a sure sign of the permanent advancement of the colony and its vastly increased importance and prosperity..." and further celebrated a doubling in postage handling capacity, noting specifically in his statement to the press that the new building had a floor space of 35,247 square feet. It was also at this time that he outlined his plans for stage two, of which the purchase of land and demolition of existing structures had already taken place. Newspapers covering the opening ceremony highlighted enthusiastically that "when the plans are fully executed, [the GPO] will not be surpassed by any similar structure in the Southern hemisphere."

The GPO second and third stage (1874 - 1891)

GPO main facade (ca.1890s)

In August 1879, five years after the completion of its first stage, Barnet submitted plans for the extension of the post office. Designed to provide additional space and extend the impressive arcade further east to Pitt Street, it has since been historically noted that Barnet had conceived of this extension in as early as 1868, when stage one of the GPO was first being considered. By 1880, tenders had been called and accepted and the laying of new foundations for the Pitt Street extension had begun.

Whilst construction of stage two progressed smoothly, the initial unveiling of what would become denigrated as the Pitt Street "caricatures" in 1883 caused great controversy throughout the city. Conceived under the supervision of Barnet and with the works executed by Italian immigrant sculptor Tomaso Sani, the sculptures were designed as "a series of high relief figures...illustrating aspects of contemporary colonial society in a realistic manner to signify the integral place of the General Post Office in colonial life." Its realistic portrayal, contrary to the established practices of classical allegorical figures used in the first stage of the GPO became a source of great controversy that would significantly affect the reputation of Barnet. The severity of the carvings as a matter of aesthetic taste was taken so seriously that it was raised by the then Vice-President of the Executive Council of the third Parkes Ministry in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Sir Frederick Darley (later, sixth Chief Justice of NSW), who was shocked by what he saw and tabled questions in parliament on 12 April 1883. In defense of the carvings, fellow member of the assembly, William Dalley read out a letter written by Barnet, in which the architect argued that the carvings were "bas-relief, realistic in character, representing the men and women in the costumes of the day. This has the advantage of truth, and fix the date and historical value of the work in opposition to the allegorical or classic sculpture which cold not be allied in an intelligent form to express what is intended."

Running parallel to the discussions in parliament, various scathing opinions were published in the press. Anonymous letters to the editor as well as prominent statements by highly respected art critics and fellow architects all offered their opinion on the state of Sani's carvings. Lorando Jones, a prominent sculptor with previous exhibitions at the Royal Academy and the Victorian Society of Fine Arts declared that "those caricatures filling the spandrels at the Post Office are alti-mezzi-relievi, and not 'bas-reliefs' as Mr. Barnet called them..." His comments were however eventually disregarded as personal and bitter, given Jones had previously been refused a commission by Barnet after Jones had been convicted of blasphemy in 1871. J.J. De Libra, an art critic and writer, commented that the subject matter was commendable but that it the carvings were unsatisfactory because of "the execution of the design, and the degree of the relief." With the rising tide of criticism, a newspaper of the time finally lamented that Barnet "...[now] stands alone against a world of carping critics."

By October 1883, the severity of the issue had led the Parkes Ministry Cabinet to appoint a board to report on the carvings. This board of enquiry reported to Barnet's superior, the Director of Public Works on 6 February 1884 and recommended that "Whilst we entirely commend the the intention of Mr. Barnet in desiring to obtain of the subjects intended to be illustrated, we cannot but regret the plan and manner in which he has sought to perpetuate them...we unanimously recommend that they be cut out and that blocks of stone to be inserted, which can be decorated or not as may be thought desirable." Referrals were also made to English critics, and Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy in London was called upon to inspect images of the carvings. In a scathing review, formed from descriptions and photographs sent to him, he concluded that the carvings could be viewed with "nothing short of consternation and...disgust...a shameful disfigurement...ugly and degrading to the sense of sight." Despite this setback, Barnet continued to reject these reports and criticisms, arguing that the photographs for study, taken on a level elevation rather than from Pitt Street, failed to correctly represent the final perspective and that the building scaffolding hindered key views to the carvings.

Whilst the criticism of the carvings continued throughout the remainder of the construction, completion of the tower progressed smoothly. The finishing stone to the tower was laid in 1885 with the press celebrating its completion, hailing "the ornamentation of this façade of the building is in excellent taste, and artistic skill of the highest order has been exercised in carrying the designs." Barnet was however unable to attend the stone laying ceremony for this completion, as he had travelled to Europe to make important notes on art and architecture, continuing research and observations to justify the designs of the Pitt Street carvings. It was also at this time that Barnet convinced editors of influential architectural publications in London to publish an article devoted to a discussion on art in New South Wales. Published on 19 September 1885, the article commended Barnet's desire for realistic sculpture but similar to previous criticisms, argued that the manner of execution was flawed.

As criticism of the carvings died down momentarily, the colonnade linking Pitt and George streets became fully open to the public in May 1887, with the public applauding the work of Barnet and visions for a new civic piazza demanded. Indeed on newspaper illustrated an imaginary Italianate square declaring that it was the General Post Office Square as it should be...a wide square, and the splendours of greenery and spraying fountains..." Historian Peter Cantrill explains that, being the tallest and arguably the largest civic structure in Sydney at the time, it could be seen from "all over the city" and thus, resulted in a public cry for a wider civic square to be constructed.

Although the construction of the extension had been completed successfully and the building topped out by 1887, a final issue, concerning the clock tower (which Barnet referred to as a campanile) arose as a new source of disagreement. In a dispute which ran from 1887-1891, the bells and clock intended for the tower, originally designed by Tornaghi were declared by Barnet to be sub-standard. This was due to a disagreement between Barnet's preference for conventional bells and Tornaghi's insistence that lighter tubular bells be used, on the basis that the latter felt the tower would collapse due to the weight of conventional bells. As a result of this a new set of conventional bells were eventually selected by Barnet, installed by a rival clockmaker, Henry Daly.

It was whilst the bells of the GPO were finally being resolved that another long standing issue, concerning the Pitt Street carvings were also finally settled in 1890. In a dramatic reversal of opinion, described by the press as "astonish[ing]" and "extraordinary" the Legislative Assembly held a vote which favoured retention of the carvings by fifty-four votes to five. In an impassioned speech by member Nicholas Hawken, the carvings were now acknowledged as "the beginning of art in Australia." By this time however, the criticisms surrounding the carvings as well as pressures from a separate public enquiry into Barnet's handling of colonial defences had tarnished the Colonial Architect's reputation such that he had resigned from office and his department had been discreetly abolished, replaced by a reduced and reformed NSW Government Architect's Office.

Despite the controversies surrounding the construction of the second stage, the significance of Barnet's architecture on the mindset of the colony was profound. The final moment heralding the completion of Barnet's vision occurred on 16 September 1891 when the Hon. Margaret Elizabeth Villiers (nee Leigh), Lady Jersey, accompanied by her husband, the then Governor of New South Wales, Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, and the Countess of Kintore, officially set in motion the clockworks at the top of the GPO Campanile. At the time of this completion in 1891, it also became subject to a publicly published poem by Australian lawyer and pioneer of the Australian federation movement, Robert Garran:

The Post Office Bells

(With apologies to the Poet Laureate)

Ring forth, ye bells ; begin to chime ;
Ring in the right, ring out the wrong ;
We've waited patiently and long ;
Ring, welcome bells ; it's nearly time.

Ring out this never-ending rain—
These floods that compass us about ;
Ring in a long-protracted drought,
Till mud return to dust again.

Then, six weeks hence, when things look dry.
And thirsty meadows pray for rain,
King in the long-lost floods again—
But stop before they rise too high.

Those carvings dire, that smirk and grin,
Ring out, ring 'out without remorse;
Ring out the Cyclorama horse;
But ring the truer artist in.

Ring out the empty fools that hoot
To drown great speakers with their din;
Or, if you can't do that, ring in
The bludgeon and the heavy boot.

Ring in a Parliament of peace,
Ring out false charges, tricks unfair;
Ring in obedience to the Chair,
Ring out the all night gabbling geese.

Ring out the men who try to baulk
Those bills the country sorely needs ;
Ring in a session of great deeds,
Ring out obstruction, idle talk.

Ring out our members' faults
(begin With little Parliamentary fibs);
Ring out the deficit of Dibbs,
But ring a mighty surplus in.

Ring out the members' midnight trams,
That cost the country such a sum;
Ring out the undue taste for rum
That fires some legislative lambs.

Ring out disunion; jealous blood
That fetters young Australia's might;
Ring out provincial petty spite;
Ring in a broader brotherhood.

Ring, mighty bells; make up lost time;
Ring all the changes that you know.
We want more changes here, I trow,
Than you can give: begin to chime.

Ring night and day, with clarion clang;
Ring in the good ; ring out the ill ;
But don't, as some folk say you will,
Ring down the tower in which you hang.

Additions of Walter Liberty Vernon (1891 - 1898)

Despite being a much celebrated building, the GPO once again out grew its capacity to handle mail. As a result, Walter Liberty Vernon, the Government Architect who succeeded the role after Barnet's resignation, was commissioned to extend the building southward along the façades as well as the addition of an extra storey.

Barnet himself commented that "unfortunately the stately dignity of the building is being marred by the addition of an attic of French design, whose varied line and want of repose is out of harmony with the rest of the structure, and its extra weight is a source of danger."

Construction along George St to extend the arcade and façade by two additional bays.

Continued development of Martin Place (1898 - 1996)

The clock tower was demolished in 1942 to reduce the visibility of the GPO in case of an air attack on Sydney. It was rebuilt in 1964.

In 1901, the Legislative Assembly began debating the further extension of lane way for the construction of what would become known as Martin Place. Known as

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/lc/lcpaper.nsf/0/A97C417C3511EF7ACA2578CD00041508/$File/Minutes%20No%2020%20-%2016%20Oct%201901.pdf

https://jade.barnet.com.au/Jade.html#!a=outline&id=275963

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/xref/inforce/?xref=Type%3Dact%20AND%20Year%3D1889%20AND%20no%3D13&nohits=y

Public enquiry

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17603877?searchTerm=general%20post%20office%20sydney%20architect&searchLimits=l-title=35%7C%7C%7Cl-category=Article

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2496627

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2479741

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/68566576

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19390822&id=9XJVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jZUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7229,3852457&hl=en

Construction and exension

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/15067583?searchTerm=general%20post%20office%20sydney&searchLimits=l-title=35%7C%7C%7Cl-decade=190%7C%7C%7Csortby

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/15067131

Martin Place as viewed from Castlereagh Street. c. 1930.

Refurbishment and current use (1996 - present day)

Statue of Queen Victoria over the main entrance

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.

Today the building features a mixture of restaurants and bars.

Part of Historical Walking Tours of the city

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/134675/WalkTourExchange.pdf

Restaurant history

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/04/16/1018333487908.html

Nature of public good

http://www.abc.net.au/arts/architecture/ep_trn2.htm

Project outline for 1996 development

http://architectureau.com/articles/projects-30/

Sale in 2015

http://www.theurbandeveloper.com/gic-private-to-sell-sydneys-westin-hotel-for-over-400m/

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/sydneys-skyline-has-been-flanked-by-controversy-for-more-than-a-century-writes-troy-lennon/story-fnii5s41-1226989696703

Architecture

At its opening, the Postmaster-General The Honourable Saul Samuel, declared that "...the beauty of the design, and the manner in which that design has been carried out, reflect great merit on the Colonial Architect, Mr. Barnet, and the contractors by whom the work has been performed."

Arcade

Polishing the Granite Columns for the G.P.O, Sydney.

The columns and base which form the arcade of the General Post Office is constructed of high quality polished granite taken from the Moruya River and true to Barnet's intentions, has its inspirations from the Italian public buildings of Bologna, Vicenza and Venice. Barnet's preferences was for the use of local materials wherever possible, rather than for the "importation of foreign materials." The use of granite rather than sandstone was also the result of structural needs, which Barnet himself, during the opening ceremony described as being "necessitated by the immediate weight which was superincumbent on small points of support, to form the arcade. The sandstone which was carved from Prymont to form the mezzanine galleries and spandrels of the arcade were done in sizes which had never been attempted in Australia and the internal domed vaults demonstrated Barnet's innovative use of fireproof concrete.

Historians have since noted that Barnet's design was an "eminently practical solution" which not only increased pedestrian access and a transition between exterior and interior of the building, but also gave the façade a sense of depth and character. The introduction of a colonnade, at the time of its completion, doubled the width of St. Martin's Lane from three to six metres, allowing also for the transfer of goods and delivery of mail efficiently and effectively. Architecturally, the arcade became a mediating type, not only for the street which would eventually become Martin Place, but also allowed Barnet to establish repetition and a sublimity of human proportion and scale.

Facade articulation

Barnet's building features a Victorian Free Classical Sydney sandstone facade, with an arcade running around the three stree-facing facades of the building. Each arch of the arcade 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.

Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney, Leslie Wilkinson commented that Barnet had high regard for Pyrmont Sandstone as "it could be quarried in very large blocks completely free of flaws."

The primary material for the facade is a load-bearing Pyrmont sandstone

The then Government Astronomer, Mr. James Nangle described the façade as belonging to "the latter part of the early period (15th and 16 centuries) of the Italian Renaissance, and is one of the finest specimens."

He added that "The rusticated joints give character to the whole design. The portions between the central feature and the flanks are divided by a spendid arcade."

Victorian Free Classical

Borrowing ideas from the Classical tradition is indeed typical and Barnet himself recognised that the GPO was conceived in the style of “Italian Renaissance, of Venetian and Florentine character…” Using these elements, he sought the repetition of openings to reorientate the GPO’s primary façade from George Street to what was at the time, Martin Lane. It is through these modular systems established along the lane that an overall sense of harmony is achieved.

The main north facade fronts Martin Place and measures 374 feet (114 metres). The clock tower also meant that the building reached a total height of 230 feet (70 metres), meaning that the building at the time of its completion was one of the tallest in Sydney and dominated both the city skyline and the newly cleared Martin Place.

General statements of Peter Kohane on style of Barnet's work:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/16/1039656339532.html

New South Wales Heritage Council

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/visit/ViewAttractionDetail.aspx?ID=5045424#

External videos
Documentary footage of the deconstruction of the GPO clock tower during WWII, viewable at the Dictionary of Sydney.

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?id=5045424

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/heritagebranch/heritage/economicspartb3.pdf

Contemporary lighting

http://acdclighting.us/projects/gpo-sydney/#.VexjPJeo_4Y

Stonework history

http://www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/sydney/nsw_sydney_quarries4.htm

Pitt Street carvings controversy

During enquiries into the matter, Barnet referenced the works of Andrea Palladio to demonstrate principles of order and proportion in his "spirited defence" of the carvings.

Tommaso Sani Italian born sculptor who emigrated to Australia.

A prominent newspaper of the time described the events within the Legislative Assembly, noting on 18 April 1883 that the carvings "gave rise to animated discussion, during which the carvings were generally condemned."

Led to extensive debates in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Unofficial coat of arms

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/Heritage/research/heraldry/sydneygpo.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Hugoc45/sandbox2&veaction=edithttp://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13532986?searchTerm=general%20post%20office%20sydney%20architect&searchLimits=l-title=35|||l-category=Article

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13578802?searchTerm=general%20post%20office%20sydney%20architect&searchLimits=l-title=35%7C%7C%7Cl-category=Article

More contemporary reappraisal of the work sought to revisit the reasons behind the carving's aesthetic controversy, free of what has since been historically reviewed as biased pre-existing views. The primary issue identified by historians Bridges and McDonald are that "...a two-dimensional design of bas-relief figures offered an acceptable solution whereas the distorted perspectives of Sani's figures produced an aesthetic conflict."

the board of enquiry commented that: "...in the first place, that they are unsuited in character and design to a building distinguished throughout by much chasteness and excellent execution in other subjects selected for its ornamentation."

6 February 1884

The board of enquiry further found "viewed only as fit subjects for the decoration of the Post Office, it is not perhaps a part of our duty to express any opinion as to the success of these carvings as realistic productions, but we cannot refrain from expressing the opinion that they fail to be a true record of the subjects they represent, and that they approach far more to the unnatural and burlesque than they do to the real."

In a series of anonymous letters to the editor, a writer known only as "ADVANCE AUSTRALIA" made severely critical comments about the carvings in 1883-1884. First stating that "a good number of persons have been asking whether the alto-relivos at the General Post Office were simply intended for a joke"

Anon. "Surely the Post Office suffers sufficiently, being smothered as it is in a crowded centre, without having its facade on the Pitt-street edge made hideous by those unqualifiable carvings."

Anonomyous "We have not improved on it [The Grecian and Roman style of sculpture], and if we are obliged to follow stupid fashions, let us not transmit to our posterity by grotesque and badly-interpreted carvings the bad taste we have to dress at the present time."

Anon. "I am sure that if a committee of artists is appointed to judge this sculpture as a work of art, it will be condemned."

"the fact remains, that everyone of the male figures, from the judge in his wig to the postman with his letter bag, is a deformed and wicked monster, and that all the women are smirking idiots."

"the telegraph operator should in all fairness give about a foot of his elongated fore arm to the postman, who has scarcely more than a stump, and before we would trust a lady friend of ours to cash a cheque at hte bank, over which another genius presides, we should request his directors to administer a few lessons in ordinary behaviour, or to forcibly suggest that it was improper to grin at fair customers across the counter. As for the lady herself, she looks perfectly horrified."

"What fools posterity will think the models from which the sculptor worked, what misguided friendship will Mr. Barnet's defence appear if they are not ere long improved from the face of what is otherwise one of the most majestic of his many noble architectural creations."

"In the sure and certain hope that a day is at hand when those sandstone embodiments of a diseased imagination popularly known as the Post Office Carvings - statues that have taken advantage of their exalted position in Pitt Street to make grimaces at passers by - will be carried, bound, from the judgement hall of the Arts and consigned to speedy destruction..."

"Our objection is not that they are realistic, nor if we understand alright, is that the objection of anybody else. What we do complain about is that there is absolutely nothing real, or, in other words, natural, in their composition from beginning to end."

"He fell defending Sani"

Since then Don McDonald has reflected historically that "the furore whipped up about the artistic merit of the carvings was an example of the cultural cringe so often found in nineteenth-century colonial society."

Barnet declared that Sani was "an Italian of 25 years experience, a man of talent and cultivation, accustomed to the advanced style of sculpture adopted at the present day."

Additions by Walter Liberty Vernon

Shortly after the retirement of Barnet as government architect, his successor, Walter Liberty Vernon made additions in the French style which have been considered undecorus and...

Commencement of construction on Walter Liberty Vernon's French additions to the GPO c. 1898

Campanile (bell tower)

The GPO Campanile taken from Barrack Street, prior to the addition of the clock face and bells. c. 1888.

Although more commonly referred to as the bell tower, Barnet refers to the tower as a campanile, following in the tradition and inspiration of the Classical Italianite style...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M1D795yODI

GPO Tower history

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/sydneys-skyline-has-been-flanked-by-controversy-for-more-than-a-century-writes-troy-lennon/story-fnii5s41-1226989696703

"The tower is in campanile form, is divided by three cornice or pediment strings, and part of each story consists of 32 columns, with Corinthian caps and bases. The clock room surmounts the three sories. The face of the clock will be 13 feet 8 inches in the clear in diameter."

Interiors

Interior of the GPO ground floor mail hall.

Interior atrium.

Relationship to Martin Place

And yet - according to the urban designer Peter John Cantrill - Martin Place was never planned. Nor was it entirely accidental. Instead, Martin Place evolved through a serendipitous mixture of

architectural flair, public debate and individual determination.

Realisation of Barnet's Vision. The articulation of the GPO resulting in a new adjoining civic square between George St & Pitt St. c. 1901

Prominent Sydney architectural historian, Dr. Peter Kohane has argued that "Martin Place owes its existence to the construction of the General Post Office. While Barnet designed his scheme to front a narrow lane, he knew that changes would be made, in this case because the completed building would clearly lack what was appropriate to it, a dignified square. A piazza was planned in 1887, its south front a three storey structure with a ground level arcade. This compliment to the General Post Office was not built but a forecourt was created so that citizens could now admire Barnet's most significant building, its arcade a welcoming gesture to all."

Former government architect of NSW Chris Johnson has commented that Barnet's "understanding of civic propriety and of the role of public buildings coincided with the Victorian concept of decorum : civic order and urban legibility established through public buildings."

It has been attributed by architectural historians that the design of the arcade led specifically to the opening of the ground level north of the GPO, with buildings purchased using government funds to clear existing buildings and create what is today known as Martin Place, providng an "appropriately scaled civic setting for the GPO."

The new arcade creates a transition between the public domain and interior spaces of the GPO and a strong presence is established which eventually “forced the clearing of lesser buildings, to create a public space.”6 As the timeline of development for Martin Place indicates, it was the GPO, in its articulation of a major northern façade which led to the development of not only the square, but other complementary buildings which similarly opened out toward the newly established public space. This development is therefore indicative of the fact that “civic and social order” may be altered or established through the shaping and articulation of architecture within an urban fabric.7

-        Through maintaining a continuity in proportion between the three types of openings along the three floors of the GPO, Barnet creates a harmonious module, repeated along Martin Lane and thus, allowed the eventual establishment of Martin Place and the full sense of grandeur to be realised.

o   “The power of the building’s presence to force the clearing of lesser buildings, to create a public space, reinforces this as does the design of a facing building that clearly understood its need to be complimentary and referential.”[1]

-        “[For people who] are obliged to serve the state, lofty and regal vestibules, grand atria and colonnaded courtyards should be built, as well as plantations of trees and broad avenues finished off so as to match their social standing; not to mention libraries, picture galleries and basilicas prepared with a splendour constant with that of great public buildings, since public councils as well as private trials and arbitrations are often held in their houses.”[2]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-citys-heart-builds-on-a-sense-of-place/2007/09/30/1191090943420.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap3

[1] Chris Johnson, p. 41 Thesis

[2] Vitruvius, Book VI, Chapter V, Paragraph 2

When James Barnet, the colonial architect, was commissioned in 1864 to build a new three-storey post office - easily the largest building in Sydney at the time - the main facade was in George Street. Martin Place did not exist, and Barnet's beautiful colonnade faced a tiny lane, only about three metres wide.

Gallery

• 
  Pitt Street facade
• 
  The building from Barrack Street
• 
  George Street façade c. 1900
• 
  Arcade
• 
  GPO today, statues of Queen Victoria and the Coat of arms of the UK
• 
  Building view

See also

• General Post Office, Perth
• Melbourne General Post Office
• Other General Post Offices

External links

• GPO Sydney