Martin Place

'The heart of the City' 'The hub of the City'
View fromCastlereagh Street
Former name(s)	Moore Street
Part of	Sydney central business district
Namesake	Sir James Martin
Type	Pedestrian zone
Owner	City of Sydney
Length	473 m (1,552 ft)
Location	Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
Postal code	2000
Nearest metro station	Martin Place railway station Martin Place metro station
From	Macquarie Street (east)
Major junctions	Phillip Street Elizabeth Street Castlereagh Street Pitt Street
To	George Street (west)
Construction
Construction start	1890
Completion	1935
Inauguration	1892
Other
Known for	Sydney Cenotaph Reserve Bank of Australia General Post Office 2014 Sydney hostage crisis

Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in theSydney central business district,New South Wales,Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.^[1] As home to theReserve Bank of Australia, theCommonwealth Bank,Macquarie Bank,Westpac and other corporations, it is also a centre of business and finance. In this way, Martin Place is comparable to other major business districts such asWall Street and theSquare Mile. TheSydney GPO is also located on Martin Place.

Martin Place has become a national Australian icon in popular culture for attracting high-end film and television productions and actors to the area. Martin Place runs betweenGeorge Street andMacquarie Street, and provides entrances to theMartin Place railway station below street level. Other cross streets includePitt Street,Castlereagh Street,Elizabeth Street andPhillip Street.

The initial "Martin Place" was the section between George Street and Pitt Street, officially opened 1892, and was named in honour ofSir James Martin, the three timePremier of New South Wales andChief Justice ofSupreme Court of New South Wales. Closed to traffic in stages from 1971, Martin Place is surrounded by many heritage buildings and features the 1927 World War ISydney Cenotaph, water fountain, entertainment area, railway access and pedestrian seating.

Today's Martin Place was built in several phases. Until the late 19th century, only the section between Pitt Street and Castlereagh Street existed in anything resembling the present form, as a short street namedMoore Street.^[2] Between Pitt Street andGeorge Street there was only a smalllaneway (similar to nearby surviving laneways such as Angel Place or Hosking Place). In 1863, construction began on the presentGeneral Post Office Building on the south side of the laneway. The building was constructed in stages, and when the design changed to provide for a main façade on the longer north side (instead of facing George Street to the west), there were concomitant proposals to widen the existing laneway into a street connected to Moore Street. A fire which destroyed properties to the north of the laneway provided the impetus for the construction, and in 1892 (a year after the Venetian-Italianate-style General Post Office was completed) the widened street was officially opened and named "Martin Place", in honour of New South Wales premier and Chief Justice James Martin.^[3] The General Post Office occupied the entire southern frontage of the street.

Both Moore Street and Martin Place became prominent centres of business and finance in Sydney. In 1913, the headquarters of theCommonwealth Bank was constructed on the corner of Moore Street and Pitt Street.^[4] In later years, other banks followed with a range of impressive buildings (see "Architecture" below). In 1921, Moore Street was renamed as part of Martin Place.^[1]

Conscription rallies forWorld War I took place here.^[1] In 1927, a Cenotaph commemorating the WWI dead was erected.^[1] Soon after, the Sydney Municipal Council proposed to extend the street further east towardsMacquarie Street. However, the plan was delayed by concerted opposition from landowners of the buildings that would have to be demolished to make way for the extension. One of the buildings demolished to make way for the extended Martin Place was St Stephen's Presbyterian Church, on the east side of Phillip Street, which was replaced by the present church on Macquarie Street in 1935. The extension was finally completed in 1935, resulting in the Martin Place stretching from George Street to Macquarie Street seen today.^[3]

The increasingly important role of Martin Place as the "heart" or "town square" of Sydney (see "Events" below) led to calls for the street to be pedestrianised. This was done progressively from 1971 until 1979, when the whole street became apedestrian mall. During this period three properties, the ANZ bank, the National Mutual building, and the CML building, were saved from destruction after the NSW Builders Labourers Federation placed green bans to enforce National Trust preservation orders.^[5] The closure of the street to traffic was partly timed to coincide with the construction ofMartin Place railway station under the eastern section of the street. Martin Place was closed between Macquarie and Phillip Streets from January 1972 to facilitate the station's construction.^[6] The station opened in 1979.^[3]Leo Port, the Lord Mayor of Sydney was an advocate of civic design, and was partly responsible for the pedestrianisation of Martin Place and Sydney Square.

In May 1980,Queen Elizabeth II and her husbandPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh made a royal tour through Martin Place.

Seven Network operated from its headquarters at Martin Place in Sydney from 1956 until 2016. The building, known as the "Seven Network Building," became a significant part of the network's operations for several decades until the company moved to its new headquarters inEveleigh.

A number of the street's older buildings were demolished in this period to make way for modernist buildings. The most prominent of these is25 Martin Place, designed byHarry Seidler.

Martin Place has a large collection of buildings of various styles, fromneo-classical to contemporary.

Address	Building name	Image	Description	Notes
No. 1	General Post Office, Sydney		Located at the western end of Martin Place, between George and Pitt Streets. Designed by colonial architectJames Barnet, this heritage-listed building was constructed in stages from 1866 to 1891. Barnet's building features a neo-classical sandstone facade, with a colonnade running around the building at street level. Above the centre of the 100-metre (330 ft) Martin Place facade is the clocktower. This building was the headquarters of theNSW postal system until 1996, when it was sold and refurbished. The building now contains shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars. TheWestin hotel andMacquarie Bank office towers stand in the former courtyard, now converted into an atrium.Australia Post maintains a presence in the form of a "Post Shop" at the corner of Martin Place and George Street.	[7][8][9]
No. 2	Bank of Australasia Building also known as354 George Street		A heritage-listedFederation Romanesque building standing on the corner of George Street and Martin Place. The Bank of Australasia merged intoANZ in 1951. The building was saved from demolition in the early 1970s by the NSW Builders Labourers Federation who supported the National Trust by placing a green ban on it.[5] The building has recently been refurbished and will now house retail space.	[10]
No. 4–10	Challis House		Stands on land bought in 1906 for £500 per square foot by theUniversity of Sydney from University endowment funds. The heritage-listed building was designed byW. L. Vernon, Government Architect and Robertson and Marks, Architects, and completed in 1907. The building was named Challis House afterJohn Henry Challis, who in 1880 had bequeathed his estate valued at £276,000 (over $30 million in 2011) to the University. This art deco building is adorned with the Sydney University crest above the door, and forms one of the most important parts of the University's property portfolio. In 2002, the university entered a 99-year lease of the property.	[11][12][13]
No. 5	Commonwealth Trading Bank Building (former)		Located on the corner of Martin Place and Pitt Street. Built in 1916, this 12-storey building was designed and project managed by the Sydney architectural firm, J & H.G Kirkpatrick. The building was the first, large-scale all steel-framed "skyscraper" in Australia. Known as the "Sydney Bank" within theCommonwealth Bank, it was built to be the headquarters of the Commonwealth Bank, which served at the time as Australia'scentral bank. It is nicknamed the "Money Box Building" due to its depiction on money boxes distributed by the Commonwealth Bank to children starting from 1922.	[14]
No. 9	25 Martin Place (formerly MLC Centre)		Sits mainly upon the site of theAustralia Hotel, demolished to make way for this 228-metre, reinforced concrete skyscraper, designed byHarry Seidler. The building is amodernist, octagonal column. At the time of its opening in (1977) it was the tallestreinforced concrete office building in the world, and was the tallest building outside North America. Construction of the building was controversial because it caused the demolition of several historic landmark buildings. Tenants include theConsulate of theUnited States of America.
No. 38–46	MLC Building		An 11-storeyart-deco heritage-listed building located on the corner of Castlereagh Street and Martin Place. It was the former headquarters ofMutual Life & Citizens Assurance Company, a large finance company taken over by theNational Australia Bank in 2000. Its current principal tenant is restructuring and advisory firm, McGrathNicol. The large, red, carved letters "MLC" are still visible on the clocktower, although a clock is currently missing.	[15]
No. 48	State Savings Bank Building		Later also owned by theCommonwealth Bank, has a distinctiveterracotta and pink graniteBeaux-Arts façade. It was built as the headquarters of the Government Savings Bank of NSW and opened in 1928. The interior features largescagliola columns, extensive use of marble, and a plaster and pressed metal ceiling. The building's square trading hall was originally one of the largest in the world. A stately vault is housed in the basement.
No. 53–63	Australian Provincial Assurance building		Formerly the Overseas Union Bank, this 14-storeyart-deco heritage-listed building is located on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Martin Place. One of its current tenants is theLindt concept store and café.	[16]
52	Colonial Building		Built as the headquarters of theNSW State Bank to replace the 1936Rural Bank Building, which was taken over by Colonial 1996 to form the Colonial State Bank, which itself was taken over in 2000 by theCommonwealth Bank. This 1986post-modern building with its dark glass facade features a 36-storey tower atop a 2-storey atrium. The former banking chamber was home to theSeven Network's Sydney-basedSeven News,Sunrise andWeekend Sunrise, mid-morning programThe Morning Show as well as the otherSeven News bulletins for 19 years until July 2023.Sky News Australia also has a small single camera studio facing Elizabeth Street.	[17][18][19]
No. 65	Reserve Bank of Australia Building		Located between Phillip and Macquarie Streets. This heritage-listed building houses the headquarters of theReserve Bank of Australia, Australia'scentral bank, including a money museum.	[20][21]
No. 60	(former Westpac Building)		Located between Phillip Street and Macquarie Street, the building is notable for featuring cantilevered floors on the north side that extend out over the historicSt Stephen's Uniting Church on Macquarie Street. The Martin Place façade however is that of a non-descript contemporary office tower. The building was completed in 2019, and replaced an equally non-descript 28-storey 1960s office block.

Several buildings located at Martin Place have been demolished:

• Rural Bank Building (1936–1983)
• The Australia Hotel
• St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church.^[22]
• Commercial Travellers' Association of New South Wales building

• At the Macquarie Street end, theSydney Hospital.^[23]
• At the George Street end, the heritage-listedWestpac building, and the heritage-listedThe Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited building, which currently houses aBurberry store.^[24]
• On Elizabeth Street, the Sun Building was formerly the headquarters ofThe Sun, an afternoon paper that ceased publication in the 1980s. This skyscraperGothic building is one of only three buildings in Sydney in this style.
• On George Street,Société Générale House isAmerican Romanesque in style, and originally housed the Equitable Life Assurance Society of America.

Other features of Martin Place include:

• Sydney Cenotaph, located between the GPO Building and Challis House, commemoratesAnzac forces who served inWorld War I, as well as Australians who gave their lives in subsequent conflicts. This was originally built fromMoruyagranite by stonemasons working on theSydney Harbour Bridge, and dedicated on 8 August 1927.
• A water fountain is located on the east side of Pitt Street, near theCommonwealth Bank building. Behind this fountain is anamphitheatre, which features a stage that can be mechanically raised when required for performances.
• Entrances to the undergroundrailway station and attached plaza.
• A Commando Memorial is located in the centre of Martin Place near the eastern end. It commemorates Australiancommandos who were killed duringWorld War II.^[25]

There are a number of heritage-listed buildings in Martin Place, including:

• 1 Martin Place:General Post Office, Sydney^[7][8]
• 4–10 Martin Place:Challis House^[11]
• 38–46 Martin Place:MLC Building^[15]
• 53–63 Martin Place:Australian Provincial Assurance Building^[16]
• 65 Martin Place:Reserve Bank of Australia Building^[20]

George Street, Elizabeth Street, and Castlereagh Street, which cross Martin Place, are all major bus routes in Sydney'sCBD. In addition,Martin Place railway station is located underground. Also nearby areSt James railway station (near Macquarie Street end) andWynyard railway station (near George Street end).

The newSydney Metro City & Southwest line includes a Metro station located underneath the existing train station and opened in August 2024.

From its origins as a narrow laneway, Martin Place has over time become the "civic heart" of Sydney.^[1] Apart from its central location, the presence of the General Post Office and its attached telegraph office meant that this was the location where important news first arrived in the city. As a result, in earlier decades this was a focal point for gatherings to await or celebrate significant events. The cenotaph was sited on Martin Place outside the General Post Office because this was where crowds gathered in the city at the end ofWorld War I.^[3] Martin Place is now the centre of the city's official war commemoration ceremonies. The extensions of the street gave it new significance in the civic scheme of the city, forming a broad and open connection between George Street, the original "High Street" and commercial axis, and Macquarie Street, the ceremonial avenue and governmental axis. People still gather on the plaza today to participate in significant events, for example to watch live broadcasts on a large television screen during the2000 Summer Olympics, or theapology to the Stolen Generation in 2008. An amphitheatre built into the plaza near Pitt Street has hosted music and cultural events, as well as political protests.

Some regular civic events now held on Martin Place include:

• Martin Place was a major opening night site during the annualSydney Festival in early January.
• AnAnzac Day dawn service has been held on 25 April at the Cenotaph every year since 1927.^[26]
• Visual art displays duringVivid Sydney in late May to early June each year,
• Outdoor concerts are held in theamphitheatre throughout the year.
• Sydney's largest Christmas tree stands in Martin Place every year in front of the GPO in November and December. A Christmas concert is held in late November, when the tree is first lit by the Lord Mayor.^[27]

Some events that have occurred in Martin Place include:

• In 1901, a large temporary colonnade and Federation Arch was constructed between George Street and Pitt Street to celebrate theFederation of Australia and the visit of the first Governor General,Lord Hopetoun.
• In 1954, a motorcade, withQueen Elizabeth II and theDuke of Edinburgh, drove along Martin Place during their first visit to Australia.
• The official opening of Stage I of the pedestrianisation of Martin Place between George Street and Pitt Street took place at 1.00pm on Friday 10 September 1971, by Lord Mayor L. Emmet McDermott.
• The official opening of Stage II took place in July 1976 and Stage V in September 1977.
• The official opening of Stages III and IV of Martin Place took place at 1.00pm on Monday 7 May 1979, by Lord Mayor Nelson Meers, coinciding with the opening of theEastern Suburbs Railway.
• Martin Place was a live outdoor venue for the Sydney2000 Summer Olympics featuring 4.8 by 6.4 metre television screens broadcasting live coverage.^[28]
• TheOccupy Sydney protest movement occupied a section of Martin Place close to the Macquarie Street end from 15 October 2011. Some protesters were removed on 23 October 2011.^[29] A series of evictions by authorities and re-establishment by protestors occurred in July 2013, ending with the final eviction of the camp on 9 July 2013.^[30][31]
• 2012 Sydney anti-Islam film protests – On 15 September 2012, around 300 Muslims protested in response to the anti-Islam filmInnocence of Muslims in Sydney CBD, including Martin Place. The event escalated into scenes of violent confrontation between police and various protesters, particularly around the areas of Martin Place and Hyde Park.
• 2014 Sydney hostage crisis – On 15–16 December 2014, Martin Place was placed into lock-down after an incident involving an Islamic gunman at the Lindt Café, with 18 people taken hostage. The armed siege had killed three people—two victims and the perpetrator himself.^[32] After the crisis it was reported that bogusBuddhist monks appeared targeting mourners over donations.^[33]
• A group of homeless people known as Tent City camping in the upper section of the mall from December 2016, leaving in August 2017.^[34]

Film

• The Matrix trilogy: TheLloyd Rees fountain near the intersection of Martin Place andPitt Street was featured in the filmThe Matrix (1999), whereNeo is distracted by the Woman in the Red Dress. The fountain has been rebuilt since the film was made. Martin Place was also the location of the final fight between Neo andAgent Smith inThe Matrix Revolutions.^[35]
• Superman Returns (2006), in the scenes whereSuperman saves Kitty Kowalski from a car accident.^[36]
• Scenes from the 2024 filmThe Fall Guy were shot here.^[37]

Television

• The studios ofSeven's flagship programsSeven News,Sunrise andWeekend Sunrise. Non-flagship programmes filmed in that studio includedSeven Early News,Seven Morning News andSeven News at 4 along with entertainment showThe Morning Show were all broadcast from theSeven Network's Martin Place studios. These programs were all moved toSouth Eveleigh in 2023.^[18]
• Rake, an ABC television series based on a self-destructive barrister is based in Martin Place.^{[citation needed]}
• Martin Place and the bar Hotel Chambers (located on the Elizabeth Street corner) were prominently featured in the AustraliantelemovieGo Big.
• The Mole's 2005 series of reality television series featured a live elimination round filmed in the Seven Network studios in Martin Place.^[38] The final round in which the Mole and the winner were revealed was also filmed here; one notable past contestant outside the studio that night was Bob Young, winner of theWeakest Link special in season 3.
• The Amazing Race: Martin Place was featured during aRoadblock task insecond season of the reality television seriesThe Amazing Race.^[39][40]

• Sydney central business district
• George Street, Sydney
• Macquarie Street, Sydney

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMartin Place, Sydney.

• GPO Sydney
• Martin Place architecture
• Martin Place Cenotaph at theRegister of War Memorials in New South Wales website.
• "Martin Place".Dictionary of Sydney. 2008. Retrieved28 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]

• Martin Place
• 1892 establishments in Australia
• Streets in Sydney
• Pedestrian malls in Sydney
• Squares in Sydney

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