Town Hall, Sydney

Sydney Town Hall
An early version of the City of Sydney coat of arms on the portico façade of the Town Hall.
The Town Hall, pictured in 2006.
Alternative names	Town Hall, Centennial Hall, Main Hall, Peace Hall, Great Hall, Old Burial Ground
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Town hall
Architectural style	Victorian Second Empire; French Second Empire
Location	483 George Street, Sydney CBD, New South Wales
Country	Australia
Coordinates	33°52′24″S 151°12′23″E / 33.873235°S 151.206323°E / -33.873235; 151.206323Coordinates: 33°52′24″S 151°12′23″E / 33.873235°S 151.206323°E / -33.873235; 151.206323
Construction started	1886 (1886)
Opened	1889 (1889)
Renovated	1991-92
Renovation cost	A$15.5 million
Owner	Council of the City of Sydney
Technical details
Material	Sydney sandstone exterior walls; Brick & plaster internal walls; Timber, concrete & tile floors; Timber roof trusses Steel & wrought iron pitched roof; Steel domed pavilions; Cedar timber windows & doors; Stained & leadlight glass windows
Floor count	2
Lifts/elevators	1
Design and construction
Architect	John H. Wilson
Other designers	Edward Bell; Albert Bond; Thomas Sapsford; John Hennessy; George McRae
Main contractor	Kelly and McLeod; Smith and Bennett; McLeod and Noble; J. Stewart and Co.
Known for	Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ; Rich decoration, craftsmanship, Victorian interiors, intricate fenestration and complex roof profiles
Other information
Seating capacity	2,535 (Centennial Hall)
Website
www.sydneytownhall.com.au
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name	Sydney Town Hall
Type	Built
Criteria	a., b., c., d., e., f., g.
Designated	5 March 2010
Part of	Town Hall / QVB Group
Reference no.	01452

The Sydney Town Hall is a late 19th-century building in the city of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, housing the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, council offices, and venues for meetings and functions. It is located on George Street, in the Sydney central business district opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral. Sited above the Town Hall station and between the city shopping and entertainment precincts, the steps of the Town Hall are a popular meeting place.

The Town Hall is listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate and the New South Wales State Heritage Register and is part of the heritage-listed Town Hall precinct which includes the Queen Victoria Building, St Andrew's Cathedral, the Gresham Hotel and the former Bank of New South Wales.

The Town Hall was built in the 1880s – on the site of the former Old Sydney Burial Ground. The cemetery was Sydney's first permanent cemetery and it is estimated that at least 2000 burials were made in the Old Sydney Burial Ground between 1782 and 1820.

The Town Hall was built from local Sydney sandstone in the grand Victorian Second Empire style, inspired by the French Second Empire Hotel de Ville in Paris. The Town Hall has been described as having "lavishly ornamented composition with focal tower and fanciful roofs". The building consists of the original Town Hall, mayoral suites and town clerk's offices. These were designed by J. H. Wilson in 1866, having won a civic competition to design a town hall for the rapidly-growing city. Construction of his initial designs were completed under the architectural direction of Albert Bond in 1869. Wilson also designed the interior of the original Town Hall meeting room. The clock tower was completed in 1873 to the design of E. and T. Bradbridge and whose clock was installed in 1884. The Centennial Hall and associated offices and entrances were designed by Thomas H. Sapsford in 1883, but after his death were completed by architects David McBeath, John Hennessy and George McRae in 1889.