Sandstone buildings - Chief Secretary's Building

One thing synonymous with Sydney are the beautiful sandstone buildings we have all over the city. Bridge Street from Macquarie Street running down to George Street is one of the streets with a number of these buildings. These buildings are mostly government departments built from the early 1870's until the 1890's.

A number of the buildings in this period were designed by colonial architect James Barnet, being in that position from 1862 - 1890.

One of these is the Chief Secretary's Building originally the Colonial Secretary's Building. This building faces Macquarie Street and stands on the city block bounded by Bridge, Phillip and Loftus Street.

                                        
                                     View looking from the corner of Macquarie and Bridge Street.

It features 9 life size statues, 6 on the outside (3 of which you can see in the photo above and below) and 3 on the inside. These external statues were sculpted by Achille Simonetti who also worked on the Governor Phillip Fountain.
 A fifth floor and dome were added in the 1890s by Barnet’s successor Walter Liberty Vernon, as well as an extension south at 50 Phillip Street.

                                        View looking from the corner of Phillip and Bridge Street

One of the statues on the corner of Phillip and Bridge Street.

 

 

Another of the statues on the corner of Phillip and Bridge Street.

 

Another of the statues on the corner of Phillip and Bridge Street.

 

This view faces Bridge Street

 

This view faces Macquarie Street. 

 

The building houses The Industrial Relations Commission of NSW offices.

Interesting fact - the dome was originally covered in aluminium which was one of the first uses of the material.