Downing Centre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Downing Centre |
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Downing Centre, Sydney, as view from Hyde Park.
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| Former names | Mark Foy's Piazza Store |
| Etymology | Reg Downing, Attorney General and Minister for Justice |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type |
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| Architectural style | Interwar Stripped Classical |
| Location | 302 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°52′39″S 151°12′33″E / 33.8774°S 151.2091°E |
| Construction started | 1901 |
| Opened | 1908 |
| Renovated | 1924 1985 |
| Client | Mark Foy's |
| Owner | Government of New South Wales |
| Landlord | Department of Communities and Justice |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Brick, iron |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Arthur Anderson |
| Architecture firm | McCredie & Anderson |
| Main contractor | Douzans Bros |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect |
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| Official name | Sydney Downing Centre |
| Type | Built |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 000393 |
The Downing Centre is a very old and important building in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It used to be a huge department store, but now it's a busy courthouse complex. Inside, you'll find different types of courts, like the Local Court and the District Court, where judges hear cases. It also has a special law library called the Downing Centre Library.
The Downing Centre is part of the Department of Communities and Justice, which is a government group that helps with legal matters. It also has offices for court services and sheriffs, who help keep order in the courts.
You can find the Downing Centre right in the middle of Sydney central business district, on Liverpool Street. It's between Elizabeth Street and Castlereagh Street. It sits across the road from Hyde Park and the Museum railway station. There's even a secret underground tunnel that connects the Downing Centre directly to Museum Station!
This building was first called the Mark Foy's Piazza Store. But in 1991, it was renamed the Downing Centre to honour Reg Downing. He was an important person who used to be the top legal officer (called the Attorney General) and the Minister for Justice for New South Wales. Because of its history and special design, the building was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Contents
History of the Downing Centre
From Shop to Courthouse: The Mark Foy's Story
The story of the Downing Centre begins with a successful shop owner named Mark Foy. He started his first shops in Melbourne in the late 1800s. After he passed away, his son, Francis Foy, moved to Sydney in 1884. Francis and his brother, Mark Jr., decided to open a new business in Sydney, keeping their father's famous name. This new business would become the well-known Mark Foy's department store chain.
In the early 1900s, the Foy brothers bought many properties in a whole city block in Sydney. They knocked down the old buildings in 1907 to make way for their grand new store.
Building a Landmark Store
The Mark Foy's Emporium was finished in 1908. It was first designed by Arthur Anderson and his team. The building was only two storeys tall at first, but it was built in a special style called Interwar Stripped Classical. This huge shop was one of a kind! It had Sydney's very first escalator, which was a big deal back then. It also offered the city's first car delivery service, bringing purchases right to your door.
The building's unique yellow bricks came all the way from England, and the white shiny bricks were from Scotland. The design of the store was inspired by famous shops in Paris.
Growing and Changing Over Time
As the Mark Foy's business grew, the brothers became very interested in sports, horse racing, and cars. Another brother, H.V. Foy, took over running the store.
Between 1927 and 1930, the store got much bigger. New architects added more floors, making it an eight-storey building. The new design included amazing display windows and a beautiful ballroom on an upper floor. There were plans to make the building even bigger, covering the whole block, but the Great Depression in the 1930s stopped those plans.
Over the years, the Mark Foy's company changed hands a few times. Eventually, in 1980, another company called Grace Bros took over the lease. They closed the store for good in 1983.
Becoming the Downing Centre
Even before the store closed, parts of the building started to be used as courts in the 1970s. By 1983, a government group suggested that the old Mark Foy's building would be perfect for a large court complex. So, the building was changed to hold 16 new courtrooms.
In 1991, the new court complex officially opened. It was named the Downing Centre after Reg Downing, who was a former top legal officer and Minister of Justice for New South Wales. Today, it continues to be an important part of the District Court system.
Building Features and Design
The Downing Centre building takes up most of a city block, surrounded by Elizabeth, Liverpool, and Castlereagh Streets. It has a mix of interesting styles from the early 1900s.
Outside the Building
The bottom part of the building is made of sandstone. At the northern end, there's a wide, colourful tiled area called a piazza, covered by a large awning. Similar awnings with fancy metal designs stretch along Elizabeth and Castlereagh Streets, with big display windows underneath.
Above the awnings, the building is covered in shiny white bricks with yellow decorations. It has large windows with bronze frames. You can still see old mosaic tile signs on the Elizabeth Street and Castlereagh Street sides, advertising products that were once sold in the store. The roof has tall corner towers covered in green tiles and pointed gables.
Inside the Building
Inside, you'll find beautiful mosaic and terrazzo tiled floors. There are also decorative plaster ceilings and fancy designs on the tops of the columns. A special feature is the glass chandelier hanging above a circular staircase.
Today, the inside of the building has many courtrooms. It also has special areas for witnesses, juries, and people who are in custody. A new area for jury members was opened in 2015.
Why the Downing Centre is Important
The Downing Centre is important for many reasons:
- Historical Significance: It tells the story of the Foy family and how big department stores grew in Australia. It reminds us where the main shopping area of Sydney used to be. For over 50 years, this store was a central part of city life.
- Architectural Beauty: The building is a great example of department store design from its time. It has many beautiful details and amazing craftsmanship. Look for the moulded decorations outside, the colourful tiled floors, the shiny brass around the windows, and the decorative ceilings.
- Unique Materials: The use of white shiny bricks and yellow/orange decorative tiles is quite rare for buildings of that time. Its unusual look and the piazza make it a well-known landmark in Sydney.
- Streetscape Landmark: The building stands out strongly at the corner of Hyde Park, adding to the city's beauty.
- Technical Innovation: It was also one of the first buildings to use a new and clever way of building with reinforced concrete. It's also an early example of keeping the original outside look of a building while adding new parts.
In Media
The outside of the Downing Centre was used as the fictional "Goode's" department store in the 2018 movie Ladies in Black (film).
Images for kids
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Downing Centre, detail
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Downing Centre, detail
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Museum station entrance at the Downing Centre, Castlereagh Street
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Museum station subway from the Downing Centre entrance
