Department of Education building facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Department of Education building
Bridge Street façade of the Department of Education building
General information
Type	Government administration
Architectural style	Edwardian Baroque
Address	35–39 Bridge Street, Sydney central business district, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Country	Australia
Coordinates	33°51′50″S 151°12′38″E / 33.86389°S 151.21056°E / -33.86389; 151.21056
Current tenants	Pontiac Land Group
Estimated completion	1938
Relocated	1989
Renovated	1996
Owner	Government of New South Wales
Technical details
Structural system	Reinforced concrete slabs
Material	Sydney sandstone
Design and construction
Architect	George McRae (1912–14) John Reid and Son (1928–38)
Architecture firm	Colonial Architect of New South Wales
Developer	Government of New South Wales
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name	Department of Education Building; Education Building
Type	State heritage (built)
Criteria	b., c., d., e.
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	726
Type	Office building
Category	Government and Administration

The Department of Education building is a special, heritage-listed building in Sydney, Australia. It was built for the Government of New South Wales to be an office for the state's education department. The building has a grand style called Edwardian Baroque. You can find it on Bridge Street in the heart of Sydney central business district.

The building was designed by George McRae, who was the Colonial Architect at the time. It was built in two main parts. The first part was finished in 1912. The second part was completed much later in 1938 by John Reid and Son. This building is also known as the Education Building. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999, which means it's officially protected because of its history and importance.

The building has been home to the Department of Education for a very long time. This department used to be called the Department of Public Instruction. Over the years, parts of the building were also used by the Department of Agriculture. But in 1978, the Education Department took over those spaces when the Agriculture Department moved out. The NSW Department of Education moved out in 2018. As of 2019, the building is being changed into a fancy hotel by a company called Pontiac Land Group. It's part of a bigger project called "the sandstone precinct."

Where is the Building?

This important building takes up an entire city block. It is surrounded by four streets: Bridge, Loftus, Bent, and Young Streets, and also Farrer Place. All four sides of the building have detailed sandstone façades (that's the fancy word for the front or face of a building). These were designed to make the building stand out in the area.

This site has been the main office for the New South Wales government's education administration for the longest time. The Department of Education first moved in during September 1912. Even though they moved out for a short time in 1989, they returned in April 1996.

Images for kids

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  A view of Bridge Street in 1920. You can see the Department of Education building on the left.

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  This is the Farrer Place side of the building. It was built during the second stage of construction.

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  A closer look at the building's Bridge Street facade.

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  A detailed look at the fancy stone carvings on the top of the building, on the north-west corner.

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  The coat of arms carved above the building's western entrance, on Loftus Street.