Criterion Theatre - Theatre Royal and Hotel Australia - Hotel Metropole - Australia Club - Milton Terrace - Equitable Building - AWA Tower
Criterion Theatre
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Criterion Theatre
The intersection of Park and Pitt Streets Sydney has a colourful history. In the 1860s the South East Corner was occupied by a poetical basket maker. He used his skills to make rhyming advertisements to attract customers. Twenty years later this corner became the home of one of Sydney’s most famous theatres, the Criterion or ‘Cri’.
The theatre had a neo renaissance exterior designed by architect George R Johnson. Johnson built the theatre for proprietor John Solomons in 1886.All that remains to remind Sydney of that proud old traditional theatre is a hotel. The Criterion Hotel stands where it always stood, but its next door neighbour is a traffic filled street rather than its old partner, the Criterion Theatre.
In 1935,it was announced that the Criterion theatre was to be demolished to facilitate the widening of Park Street. The increasing use of cars necessitated the upgrade of the city’s roads.
The closing date was set for 13th July 1935. (This postcard was posted to Algeria)
The intersection of Park and Pitt Streets Sydney has a colourful history. In the 1860s the South East Corner was occupied by a poetical basket maker. He used his skills to make rhyming advertisements to attract customers. Twenty years later this corner became the home of one of Sydney’s most famous theatres, the Criterion or ‘Cri’.
The theatre had a neo renaissance exterior designed by architect George R Johnson. Johnson built the theatre for proprietor John Solomons in 1886.All that remains to remind Sydney of that proud old traditional theatre is a hotel. The Criterion Hotel stands where it always stood, but its next door neighbour is a traffic filled street rather than its old partner, the Criterion Theatre.
In 1935,it was announced that the Criterion theatre was to be demolished to facilitate the widening of Park Street. The increasing use of cars necessitated the upgrade of the city’s roads.
The closing date was set for 13th July 1935. (This postcard was posted to Algeria)
Castlereagh Street -Theatre Royal -Hotel Australia
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Hotel Metropole
The Hotel Metropole, with frontages on Young, Bent and Phillip streets, was built by the Australian Coffee Palace Company at a cost of 150,000 pounds and opened on the 14th of January, 1890. At the opening ceremony, Mr McBean, chairman of the company, declared it ‘a splendid establishment’ and Mayor Burdekin described the architecture, by Hennessy and Sheerin, as magnificent.
The Hotel Metropole closed in 1969 and was demolished soon afterwards.
The Hotel Metropole, with frontages on Young, Bent and Phillip streets, was built by the Australian Coffee Palace Company at a cost of 150,000 pounds and opened on the 14th of January, 1890. At the opening ceremony, Mr McBean, chairman of the company, declared it ‘a splendid establishment’ and Mayor Burdekin described the architecture, by Hennessy and Sheerin, as magnificent.
The Hotel Metropole closed in 1969 and was demolished soon afterwards.
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Australia Club in the Domain
The Australian Club is a private club founded in 1838 and located in Sydney at 165 Macquarie Street. Its membership is men-only and it's the oldest gentlemen's club in the southern hemisphere. It enjoys reciprocal arrangements with other clubs of its type including; the Melbourne Club, Boodle's and Brooks’s in London, the Pacific-Union Club in San Francisco, California Club in Los Angeles, Union Club and Knickerbocker Club of New York City and the Somerset Club in Boston.
The Australian Club is a private club founded in 1838 and located in Sydney at 165 Macquarie Street. Its membership is men-only and it's the oldest gentlemen's club in the southern hemisphere. It enjoys reciprocal arrangements with other clubs of its type including; the Melbourne Club, Boodle's and Brooks’s in London, the Pacific-Union Club in San Francisco, California Club in Los Angeles, Union Club and Knickerbocker Club of New York City and the Somerset Club in Boston.
Milton Terrace
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Milton Terrace
Location: 1-19 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point, NSW 2000: Constructed: 1880 - 1882
Grand three storey, five bedroom, Victorian Italianate terrace with basement - one of ten in a row. Decorative facade with large incised motifs and iron lace. Verandah infill on second storey, deep projecting parapet, and spear fence enclosing small front garden. Storeys: 3 Construction: Painted rendered masonry, corrugated galvanised iron roof. Timber and cast iron balcony. Spear fence cast iron. Style: Victorian Italianate
One of the finest remaining large scale Victorian residences in terrace form in Sydney. Superbly sited facing Dawes Point Park, it ably complements the other early terraces adjoining in Lower Fort Street. Thus serving to create one of the most notable nineteenth century residential streetscapes in Australia.
A grand range of three storey terrace houses with basements consisting of nine houses having two bays and one of three bays. A strong unity is given to the Italianate stuccoed facades by a deep projecting parapet and first floor balconies having cast iron columns and balustrades, linked at ground floor level by an iron picket fence enclosing small gardens and steps to the stone basement. Chimneys are grouped into seven banks spaced along the ridge line. Balconies have been enclosed.
Location: 1-19 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point, NSW 2000: Constructed: 1880 - 1882
Grand three storey, five bedroom, Victorian Italianate terrace with basement - one of ten in a row. Decorative facade with large incised motifs and iron lace. Verandah infill on second storey, deep projecting parapet, and spear fence enclosing small front garden. Storeys: 3 Construction: Painted rendered masonry, corrugated galvanised iron roof. Timber and cast iron balcony. Spear fence cast iron. Style: Victorian Italianate
One of the finest remaining large scale Victorian residences in terrace form in Sydney. Superbly sited facing Dawes Point Park, it ably complements the other early terraces adjoining in Lower Fort Street. Thus serving to create one of the most notable nineteenth century residential streetscapes in Australia.
A grand range of three storey terrace houses with basements consisting of nine houses having two bays and one of three bays. A strong unity is given to the Italianate stuccoed facades by a deep projecting parapet and first floor balconies having cast iron columns and balustrades, linked at ground floor level by an iron picket fence enclosing small gardens and steps to the stone basement. Chimneys are grouped into seven banks spaced along the ridge line. Balconies have been enclosed.
Equitable Building
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Société Générale House - 348-352 George St..
This insurance house was built in 1895 for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America, under the supervision of their visiting architect Edward Raht
This insurance house was built in 1895 for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America, under the supervision of their visiting architect Edward Raht
AWA Tower
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In 1909 German company Telefunken formed a subsidiary in Australia to market a new-fangled technology called radio. Four years later the company merged with the Australian subsidiary of the British-based Marconi company to form Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd, better known as AWA.
Over the course of the 20th century AWA became one of the best-known corporate names in Australia. Its brand names, such as Radiola and Deep Image, were not far behind.
AWA provided the equipment that picked up Australia's first radio broadcast from England, in 1918. It became Australia's de facto international telephone carrier in the 1920s when the Hughes government brought a majority stake and used it to set up an "Empire Radio Telephone" service to connect Australia to Europe and Canada in competition to privately owned submarine cables.
Over the course of the 20th century AWA became one of the best-known corporate names in Australia. Its brand names, such as Radiola and Deep Image, were not far behind.
AWA provided the equipment that picked up Australia's first radio broadcast from England, in 1918. It became Australia's de facto international telephone carrier in the 1920s when the Hughes government brought a majority stake and used it to set up an "Empire Radio Telephone" service to connect Australia to Europe and Canada in competition to privately owned submarine cables.
![Picture](/uploads/5/4/6/4/54641459/72-awa-tower-low-res-img-7905_orig.jpg)
During World War II AWA was virtually an arm of the Defence Department, training radio operators and manufacturing military radio sets. After the war it conducted Australia's first TV transmissions. In the 1970s it moved into computers and was largely responsible for the popularity in Australia of a now largely forgotten operating system called Pick.
There's no other technology company with such a close national connection. Its tower in Sydney's CBD, emblazoned with the company's distinctive logo was for many years the tallest structure in town. It is still there, surrounded by skyscrapers and now protected by a heritage order.
Despite its long and illustrious history AWA very nearly ceased to exist in the 1980s. A young currency trader nearly sent the company bankrupt when he lost $50 million in foreign exchange transactions. To recover its position the company went through a number of restructures and many of its divisions were sold off, until it was left with not much more than its computer services division and some very profitable gaming operations.
The gaming technology saved AWA. It had a long history in providing totalisator machines to racing clubs and that evolved into the computer systems that ran Lotto and Keno operations. The whole company was acquired by gaming operator Jupiters in 2001 on the strength of this technology. Jupiters was subsequently acquired by Australian gaming giant Tabcorp. The AWA name still existed but it was used only for the company's small computer services division, which did not really fit into the Tabcorp picture.
There's no other technology company with such a close national connection. Its tower in Sydney's CBD, emblazoned with the company's distinctive logo was for many years the tallest structure in town. It is still there, surrounded by skyscrapers and now protected by a heritage order.
Despite its long and illustrious history AWA very nearly ceased to exist in the 1980s. A young currency trader nearly sent the company bankrupt when he lost $50 million in foreign exchange transactions. To recover its position the company went through a number of restructures and many of its divisions were sold off, until it was left with not much more than its computer services division and some very profitable gaming operations.
The gaming technology saved AWA. It had a long history in providing totalisator machines to racing clubs and that evolved into the computer systems that ran Lotto and Keno operations. The whole company was acquired by gaming operator Jupiters in 2001 on the strength of this technology. Jupiters was subsequently acquired by Australian gaming giant Tabcorp. The AWA name still existed but it was used only for the company's small computer services division, which did not really fit into the Tabcorp picture.
Links to more buildings
Public Buildings:- Lands Department - South Head Lighthouse - The Museum - Government House - Sydney University
Private Buildings:- Criterion Theatre - Theatre Royal and Hotel Australia - Hotel Metropole - Australia Club - Milton Terrace - Equitable Building - AWA Tower
Retailers:- David Jones - Marcus Clark - Grace Bros
Post Offices:- Central Post Office - North Sydney Post Office - Annandale Post Office
Hospitals:- Sydney Eye Hospital - St Vincents, Darlinghurst - Walker Hospital
Markets:- Queen Victoria Market - Belmore Market
Religious:- Scots Church, Sydney - Cardinals Palace, Manly - Holy Trinity Church, Millers Point - The Convent, Rose Bay - St Marks, Darling Point
Banks:- Joint Stock Building - Commonwealth Bank
Public Buildings:- Lands Department - South Head Lighthouse - The Museum - Government House - Sydney University
Private Buildings:- Criterion Theatre - Theatre Royal and Hotel Australia - Hotel Metropole - Australia Club - Milton Terrace - Equitable Building - AWA Tower
Retailers:- David Jones - Marcus Clark - Grace Bros
Post Offices:- Central Post Office - North Sydney Post Office - Annandale Post Office
Hospitals:- Sydney Eye Hospital - St Vincents, Darlinghurst - Walker Hospital
Markets:- Queen Victoria Market - Belmore Market
Religious:- Scots Church, Sydney - Cardinals Palace, Manly - Holy Trinity Church, Millers Point - The Convent, Rose Bay - St Marks, Darling Point
Banks:- Joint Stock Building - Commonwealth Bank
Links to the places around NSW
Beaches and Bays ; Bridges ; Buildings ; Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour
North Sydney; Hospitals ; Parks and Gardens ; Railways and Stations ;
Roads ; Statues ; Suburbs ; Greater NSW
Beaches and Bays ; Bridges ; Buildings ; Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour
North Sydney; Hospitals ; Parks and Gardens ; Railways and Stations ;
Roads ; Statues ; Suburbs ; Greater NSW