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EspañolMARTIN PLACE, SYDNEY
(Redirected from Martin Place)
'Martin Place' is a pedestrian mall in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia which is one of the most iconic public spaces in Australia. Martin Place is synonymous with corporate Australia, home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Sydney GPO and the Commonwealth bank has a presence there. Channel 7 broadcasts their national sunrise program from Martin Place, LIVE, attracting plenty of tourists and locals to the area. It is speculated that Martin Place will become Australia's second biggest corporate area once Globe St is complete in an urban renewal project in Darling Harbour, which will be part of the Sydney CBD. Globe St will be similar to Martin Street but be specifically built for the title of corporate capital Australia. Martin Place has become an national Australian icon in popular culture for attracting high-end productions and actors to the area. Martin Place runs between George Street and Macquarie Street, and provides entrances to the Martin Place railway station below street level. Other cross streets include Pitt Street, Castlereagh Street, Elizabeth Street and Phillip Street.
Martin Place was opened in 1891 and made traffic-free in 1971. Martin Place is surrounded by many heritage buildings and features the 1927 World War I ANZAC Cenotaph, water fountain, entertainment area, railway access and pedestrian seating. It is very popular at lunchtime, often crowded with office workers and bicycle couriers.
Martin Place has a large collection of buildings of various styles, from neo-classical to contemporary. Notable buildings include:
★ 'Sydney General Post Office' (No. 1 Martin Place) located at the western end of Martin Place, between George and Pitt Streets. Designed by colonial architect James Barnet, the building was constructed in stages from 1866 to 1891. The 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, 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. 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.[1] Australia Post maintains a presence in the form of a "Post Shop" at the corner of Martin Place and George Street.
★ 'Bank of Australasia Building' (No. 2 Martin Place) is a Romanesque building standing on the corner of George Street and Martin Place. The Bank of Australasia merged into ANZ in 1951. The building has recently been refurbished and will now house retail space.
★ 'Challis House' (No. 4 Martin Place) stands on land bequeathed to the University of Sydney by Thomas Challis in 1880. This art deco building is adorned with the Sydney University crest above the door, and forms one of the most important parts of the University's property portfolio. In 2002, the university entered a 99-year lease of the property.[2]
★ 'Commonwealth Bank building' (No. 5 Martin Place) is on the corner of Martin Place and Pitt Street. Built in 1916, this 12-storey building was the first, large-scale all steel-framed "skyscraper" in Australia. It was built to be the headquarters of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which served at the time as the Australian central bank.
★ The 'MLC Centre' (No. 9 Martin Place) sits mainly upon the site of the famous Australia Hotel, demolished to make way for this 228-metre, reinforced concrete skyscraper, designed by Harry Seidler. The building is a modernist, octagonal column. At the time of its opening in (1977) it was the tallest reinforced concrete office building in the world, and was the tallest building outside North America. Construction of the building was controversial because it caused the demolition of several historic landmark buildings. Tenants include the Consulate of the United States of America.
★ The 'Henry Davis York building' (No. 38-46 Martin Place) is an 11-storey art-deco building on the corner of Castlereagh Street and Martin Place. It was the former headquarters of MLC, a large finance company taken over by the National Australia Bank in 2000. Its current principal tenant is law firm Henry Davis York. The large, red, carved letters "MLC" are still visible on the clocktower, although a clock is currently missing.
★ The 'State Savings Bank building' (No. 48 Martin Place), now also owned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, has a distinctive terracotta and pink granite Beaux-Arts facade. It was built as the headquarters of the Government Savings Bank of NSW and opened in 1928. The interior features large scagliola columns, extensive use of marble, and a plaster and pressed metal ceiling. The building's square trading hall was originally one of the largest in the world. A stately vault is housed in the basement.
★ The 'Australian Provincial Assurance building' (No. 53-63 Martin Place) (formerly Overseas Union Bank) is a 14-storey art-deco building on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Martin Place. One of its current tenants is the Lindt concept store and café.
★ The 'Colonial Building' was the headquarters of the NSW State Bank, which was taken over by Colonial 1996 to form the Colonial State Bank, which itself was taken over in 2000 by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. This 1986 post-modern building with its dark glass facade features a 36-storey tower atop a 2-storey atrium. The former banking chamber now contains the Sydney newsdesk of the Seven Television Network's Seven News. An ad-hoc "live audience" stands on the street outside the windows every morning for the station's breakfast program Sunrise and the mid-morning progam The Morning Show.[3]
★ The 'Reserve Bank of Australia building' [4] is located between Phillip and Macquarie Streets. It houses the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Australia's central bank, including a money museum.
Buildings adjacent to Martin Place include:
★ At the Macquarie Street end, the Sydney Hospital.[5]
★ At the George Street end, the Westpac building, and Virgin Megastore (former headquarters of the Commercial Banking Company of Australia, merged into National Australia Bank).[6]
★ On Elizabeth Street, the Sun Building was formerly the headquarters of the ''Sun'', an afternoon that ceased publication in the 1980s. This skyscraper Gothic building is one of only three buildings in Sydney in this style.
★ On George Street, Société Générale House is American Romanesque in style, and originally housed the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America.
Other features of Martin Place include:
★ The Cenotaph, located between the GPO Building and Challis House, commemorates ANZAC forces who served in World War II, as well as Australians who gave their lives in subsequent conflicts. This was originally built from Moruya granite by stonemasons working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and dedicated on 8th August, 1927.
★ A water fountain is located on the east side of Pitt Street, near the Commonwealth Bank of Australia building. Behind this fountain is an amphitheatre, which features a stage that can be mechanically raised when required for performances.
★ Entrances to the underground railway station and attached plaza.
George Street, Elizabeth Street, and Castlereagh Street, which cross Martin Place, are all major bus routes in Sydney's CBD. In addition, Martin Place railway station is located underground. Also nearby are St James railway station (near Macquarie Street end) and Wynyard railway station (near George Street end).
★ An ANZAC Day dawn service is held at the cenotaph every year on 25 April.[7]
★ Sydney's largest Christmas tree stands in Martin Place every year. A Christmas concert is held in late November, when the tree is decorated.[8]
★ Outdoor concerts are held in the amphitheatre throughout the year.
★ Martin Place was a live outdoor venue for the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics featuring 4.8 by 6.4 metre television screens broadcasting live coverage.[9]
Outside office hours, Martin Place is frequented by skateboarders, with its smooth ground, stairs and ledges used for skaters performing various tricks. The stage area is known infamously to Sydney's skateboarders as 'The Pit', a large set of 4 stairs that is featured in many international skateboarding videos.[10]
★ ''The Matrix'' trilogy
★ : The water fountain on Pitt Street was featured in the film ''The Matrix'', where Neo is distracted by the Woman in the Red Dress. The fountain has been rebuilt since the film was made. Martin Place was also the location of the final fight between Neo and Agent Smith in ''The Matrix Revolutions''.[11]
★ ''Superman Returns''
★ :Martin Place was featured in the 2006 blockbuster ''Superman Returns'', in the scenes where Superman saves Kitty Kowalski from a car accident.[12]
★ ''Sunrise''
★ : Sunrise broadcasts from the plaza, and often features live concerts in the plaza.
★ ''Go Big''
★ : Martin Place and the bar Hotel Chambers (located on the Elizabeth Street corner) were prominently featured in the Australian telemovie ''Go Big''.
★ ''The Morning Show''
★ : Channel 7 show which is broadcast from the 7 television studios each weekday morning
★ ''The Mole''
★ : The 2005 series of reality television series ''The Mole'', featured a live elimination round filmed in the Seven Network studios in Martin Place.[13]
★ ''The Amazing Race''
★ : Martin Place was featured as a roadblock in second season of the reality television series ''The Amazing Race''.[14][15]
1. No. 1 Martin Place
2. Auditor General's Report to Parliament 2002 Volume Three - University of Sydney
3. Seven news bunkers down
4. Location of the Reserve Bank of Australia
5. Location of Sydney Hospital
6. Branson opens Virgin megastore
7. ANZAC Day
8. Martin Place Christmas Concert and Tree Lighting
9. The Official Report of the XXVII Olympiad, Sydney 2000 Volume 1 – Preparing for the Games
10. Martin Place
11. Stunt chopper flies into real-life film set in Sydney CBD
12. Sydney a star as Superman Returns
13. The New Mole
14. This Week's Roadblock
15. Still shot of Dave Lepeska walking through Martin Place
★ GPO Sydney
★ Martin Place architecture
★ Martin Place Cenotaph at the ''Register of War Memorials in New South Wales'' website.
Martin Place.
Cenotaph, Martin Place.
Water Fountain in Martin Place which was featured in ''The Matrix.''
Martin Place fountain
'Martin Place' is a pedestrian mall in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia which is one of the most iconic public spaces in Australia. Martin Place is synonymous with corporate Australia, home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Sydney GPO and the Commonwealth bank has a presence there. Channel 7 broadcasts their national sunrise program from Martin Place, LIVE, attracting plenty of tourists and locals to the area. It is speculated that Martin Place will become Australia's second biggest corporate area once Globe St is complete in an urban renewal project in Darling Harbour, which will be part of the Sydney CBD. Globe St will be similar to Martin Street but be specifically built for the title of corporate capital Australia. Martin Place has become an national Australian icon in popular culture for attracting high-end productions and actors to the area. Martin Place runs between George Street and Macquarie Street, and provides entrances to the Martin Place railway station below street level. Other cross streets include Pitt Street, Castlereagh Street, Elizabeth Street and Phillip Street.
Martin Place was opened in 1891 and made traffic-free in 1971. Martin Place is surrounded by many heritage buildings and features the 1927 World War I ANZAC Cenotaph, water fountain, entertainment area, railway access and pedestrian seating. It is very popular at lunchtime, often crowded with office workers and bicycle couriers.
| Contents |
| Architecture |
| Transport |
| Events |
| Popular Culture |
| Skateboarding |
| Films |
| Television |
| References |
| External links |
Architecture
Martin Place has a large collection of buildings of various styles, from neo-classical to contemporary. Notable buildings include:
★ 'Sydney General Post Office' (No. 1 Martin Place) located at the western end of Martin Place, between George and Pitt Streets. Designed by colonial architect James Barnet, the building was constructed in stages from 1866 to 1891. The 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, 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. 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.[1] Australia Post maintains a presence in the form of a "Post Shop" at the corner of Martin Place and George Street.
★ 'Bank of Australasia Building' (No. 2 Martin Place) is a Romanesque building standing on the corner of George Street and Martin Place. The Bank of Australasia merged into ANZ in 1951. The building has recently been refurbished and will now house retail space.
★ 'Challis House' (No. 4 Martin Place) stands on land bequeathed to the University of Sydney by Thomas Challis in 1880. This art deco building is adorned with the Sydney University crest above the door, and forms one of the most important parts of the University's property portfolio. In 2002, the university entered a 99-year lease of the property.[2]
★ 'Commonwealth Bank building' (No. 5 Martin Place) is on the corner of Martin Place and Pitt Street. Built in 1916, this 12-storey building was the first, large-scale all steel-framed "skyscraper" in Australia. It was built to be the headquarters of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which served at the time as the Australian central bank.
★ The 'MLC Centre' (No. 9 Martin Place) sits mainly upon the site of the famous Australia Hotel, demolished to make way for this 228-metre, reinforced concrete skyscraper, designed by Harry Seidler. The building is a modernist, octagonal column. At the time of its opening in (1977) it was the tallest reinforced concrete office building in the world, and was the tallest building outside North America. Construction of the building was controversial because it caused the demolition of several historic landmark buildings. Tenants include the Consulate of the United States of America.
★ The 'Henry Davis York building' (No. 38-46 Martin Place) is an 11-storey art-deco building on the corner of Castlereagh Street and Martin Place. It was the former headquarters of MLC, a large finance company taken over by the National Australia Bank in 2000. Its current principal tenant is law firm Henry Davis York. The large, red, carved letters "MLC" are still visible on the clocktower, although a clock is currently missing.
★ The 'State Savings Bank building' (No. 48 Martin Place), now also owned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, has a distinctive terracotta and pink granite Beaux-Arts facade. It was built as the headquarters of the Government Savings Bank of NSW and opened in 1928. The interior features large scagliola columns, extensive use of marble, and a plaster and pressed metal ceiling. The building's square trading hall was originally one of the largest in the world. A stately vault is housed in the basement.
★ The 'Australian Provincial Assurance building' (No. 53-63 Martin Place) (formerly Overseas Union Bank) is a 14-storey art-deco building on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Martin Place. One of its current tenants is the Lindt concept store and café.
★ The 'Colonial Building' was the headquarters of the NSW State Bank, which was taken over by Colonial 1996 to form the Colonial State Bank, which itself was taken over in 2000 by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. This 1986 post-modern building with its dark glass facade features a 36-storey tower atop a 2-storey atrium. The former banking chamber now contains the Sydney newsdesk of the Seven Television Network's Seven News. An ad-hoc "live audience" stands on the street outside the windows every morning for the station's breakfast program Sunrise and the mid-morning progam The Morning Show.[3]
★ The 'Reserve Bank of Australia building' [4] is located between Phillip and Macquarie Streets. It houses the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Australia's central bank, including a money museum.
Buildings adjacent to Martin Place include:
★ At the Macquarie Street end, the Sydney Hospital.[5]
★ At the George Street end, the Westpac building, and Virgin Megastore (former headquarters of the Commercial Banking Company of Australia, merged into National Australia Bank).[6]
★ On Elizabeth Street, the Sun Building was formerly the headquarters of the ''Sun'', an afternoon that ceased publication in the 1980s. This skyscraper Gothic building is one of only three buildings in Sydney in this style.
★ On George Street, Société Générale House is American Romanesque in style, and originally housed the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America.
Other features of Martin Place include:
★ The Cenotaph, located between the GPO Building and Challis House, commemorates ANZAC forces who served in World War II, as well as Australians who gave their lives in subsequent conflicts. This was originally built from Moruya granite by stonemasons working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and dedicated on 8th August, 1927.
★ A water fountain is located on the east side of Pitt Street, near the Commonwealth Bank of Australia building. Behind this fountain is an amphitheatre, which features a stage that can be mechanically raised when required for performances.
★ Entrances to the underground railway station and attached plaza.
Transport
George Street, Elizabeth Street, and Castlereagh Street, which cross Martin Place, are all major bus routes in Sydney's CBD. In addition, Martin Place railway station is located underground. Also nearby are St James railway station (near Macquarie Street end) and Wynyard railway station (near George Street end).
Events
★ An ANZAC Day dawn service is held at the cenotaph every year on 25 April.[7]
★ Sydney's largest Christmas tree stands in Martin Place every year. A Christmas concert is held in late November, when the tree is decorated.[8]
★ Outdoor concerts are held in the amphitheatre throughout the year.
★ Martin Place was a live outdoor venue for the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics featuring 4.8 by 6.4 metre television screens broadcasting live coverage.[9]
Popular Culture
Skateboarding
Outside office hours, Martin Place is frequented by skateboarders, with its smooth ground, stairs and ledges used for skaters performing various tricks. The stage area is known infamously to Sydney's skateboarders as 'The Pit', a large set of 4 stairs that is featured in many international skateboarding videos.[10]
Films
★ ''The Matrix'' trilogy
★ : The water fountain on Pitt Street was featured in the film ''The Matrix'', where Neo is distracted by the Woman in the Red Dress. The fountain has been rebuilt since the film was made. Martin Place was also the location of the final fight between Neo and Agent Smith in ''The Matrix Revolutions''.[11]
★ ''Superman Returns''
★ :Martin Place was featured in the 2006 blockbuster ''Superman Returns'', in the scenes where Superman saves Kitty Kowalski from a car accident.[12]
Television
★ ''Sunrise''
★ : Sunrise broadcasts from the plaza, and often features live concerts in the plaza.
★ ''Go Big''
★ : Martin Place and the bar Hotel Chambers (located on the Elizabeth Street corner) were prominently featured in the Australian telemovie ''Go Big''.
★ ''The Morning Show''
★ : Channel 7 show which is broadcast from the 7 television studios each weekday morning
★ ''The Mole''
★ : The 2005 series of reality television series ''The Mole'', featured a live elimination round filmed in the Seven Network studios in Martin Place.[13]
★ ''The Amazing Race''
★ : Martin Place was featured as a roadblock in second season of the reality television series ''The Amazing Race''.[14][15]
References
1. No. 1 Martin Place
2. Auditor General's Report to Parliament 2002 Volume Three - University of Sydney
3. Seven news bunkers down
4. Location of the Reserve Bank of Australia
5. Location of Sydney Hospital
6. Branson opens Virgin megastore
7. ANZAC Day
8. Martin Place Christmas Concert and Tree Lighting
9. The Official Report of the XXVII Olympiad, Sydney 2000 Volume 1 – Preparing for the Games
10. Martin Place
11. Stunt chopper flies into real-life film set in Sydney CBD
12. Sydney a star as Superman Returns
13. The New Mole
14. This Week's Roadblock
15. Still shot of Dave Lepeska walking through Martin Place
External links
★ GPO Sydney
★ Martin Place architecture
★ Martin Place Cenotaph at the ''Register of War Memorials in New South Wales'' website.
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