1961: Harry Seidler calls for demolition of the QVB

One of the most popular entries on this blog since its inception has been my entry on the 1959 proposal by Sydney City Council to demolish the Queen Victoria Building and replace it with a public square and underground carpark. 

I mentioned in that entry that one supporter of its demolition was architect Harry Seidler and made reference to the 1970's when he called for a carpark to replace the building.

In that search for information on Harry Seidler and his advocacy for demolition, I had come across photos on the internet of a scanned newspaper article which in inital searches was undated - "Tear down this city horror". However one photograph taken of a pasted article from one of his scrap books had "Mirror 26/9/61" which was enough for me to locate the article which was featured in the September 26, 1961 edition of The Daily Mirror.

Below is a Microfische copy of the article.

What was Seidler's position?

Seidler told The Daily Mirror that the building was "an architectural monstrousity, a wasteful stuipd building". At the time, the building housed the Sydney County Council and construction had been halted on the building of its new offices at the corner of George and Bathurst Streets (not completed until 1968). He argued that there was a "desparate need" for a Civic Square and underground carpark in central Sydney.

Seidler had his supporters including Professor Denis Winston, Professor of Town and Country Planning at Sydney University who stated that "the time to act is now" along with Cr. W. Doherty, Chairman of the Sydney County Council. 

How did Sydney City Council respond to the article?

Source: Anon. 1961. "Only a bomb will shift it". The Daily Mirror, September 27: 7. 

The following day (September 27), Lord Mayor Harry Jensen, told The Daily Mirror that "insurmountable obstacles" had stopped the building from being demolished. The civic square could only be built if the Sydney County Council vacated the building. Construction had been halted on its purpose built headquarters at the corner of George and Bathurst Streets due to construction costs. The building was not completed until 1968. 

Jensen believed that any Civic Square on the site of the QVB would be determined by future councils and not him.

Finally note this statement at the introduction to the article: 

"...todays teenagers will probably be old men and women before they see the last of the building's clutter of columns, cornices and cuploas." 

In 2021, the teenagers referred to in 1961 are now senior citizens. The QVB is here to stay following its restoration into a retail complex during the 1980's. This was opened in 1986 and 2021 is 35 years of retail trading at the QVB. 

And the headline "Only a bomb will shift it" is true in itself. 

2001: The QVB as Sydney's favourite building

In 2000, The State Chamber of Commerce surveyed Sydneysiders to identify Sydney's favourite building.

The winner was the Queen Victoria Building which received 33% of the vote.

This was followed by Sydney Tower in second place.

Rounding off the top five were:

3. The Sydney Opera House
4. The GPO
5. The Sydney Town Hall.

Results were released in early 2001.

Below is an article from The Daily Telegraph from January 2001.

Source: Skelsey, M. 2001. "Victoria's secret: QVB vote Sydney's favourite building." The Daily Telegraph, January 6: 7.

This is in stark contrast to the thoughts and minds of people in the 1960's when there were calls for the building to be demolished for a Civic Square and car park or even build a skyscraper.

We are blessed to have this building in our city. It adds grandeur and elegance to our city, but also provides our shoppers with a wonderful experience as they access the best shopping that a city can offer.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Sydney Square Scheme (1968)

In 1959, Sydney City Council had proposed to demolish the Queen Victoria Building and replace it with a public square and underground carpark. A decade later, architecture students from the University of NSW proposed their own visions for the site. This went on public display.

• Plan A - Envisaged a full restoration of the Queen Victoria Building with a public library and exhibition space for the National and Historical Trust. It also proposed that the Civic Square be placed on the site of the Woolworths Building and nearby buildings on the block bounded by George Street, Park Street, Pitt Street, and Bathurst Street. The location of the square reflects the current vision of Sydney City Council.
• Plan B - Demolition of the southern half of the Queen Victoria Building with the remainder of the building to house a public library. The demolished space would be converted to a public square.
• Plan C - Demolition of the Queen Victoria Building except for the dome and the structure underneath it with a conversion to a public square.
• Plan D - Demolition of the entire Queen Victoria Building which is replaced with a public square. At the Market Street end of the square, a four-story building housing a public library would be built.

Source: Anon. 1968. "Civic Square Plan: Ideas for Queen Victoria Building". The Daily Telegraph, July 24: 13.

Related Entries

Added October 2022

1959: Sydney City Council Proposal to turn the Queen Victoria Building into a public square

1961: Harry Seidler calls for demolition of the QVB

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Sydney City Council Proposal to turn the Queen Victoria Building into a public square (1959)

Some might remember in the early 1970s when architect Harry Seidler called for the demolition of the Queen Victoria Building in George Street and that a multi-storey carpark replace the building.

Demolishing the QVB was an idea for more than a decade. In the late 1950's Sydney City Council wanted the building demolished for a public square with an underground carpark modeled on public squares in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

One proposal called for York Street to be tunneled.

Source: Anon. 1959. "Lord Mayors Idea For A New Square". The Sun Herald, May 10: 12. 

They felt that the building was just half the value of the site itself and not earning revenue for the council, who were the landholders.  They felt the public square and carpark would earn more revenue.

The question will be asked - What if it became reality?

• The proposed square for the eastern side of George Street would never be in the works.
• Stricter building codes for York, Market and George Streets. Some of the tall buildings we see today might not have been allowed, especially those in more recent years. The impact would go even to King Street and beyond.
• The focal point for events around Town Hall would have shifted to its north instead of the east. The public rallies and civil gatherings along George Street would not happen in the way we see today.

We should be grateful that one of finest buildings in Sydney from the Victorian era is still with us today. The decision to convert the building into a shopping centre has paid off massive dividends for Sydney. It is a much-loved destination for shopping in central Sydney and the most famous retail complex of all. It is a meeting place for people too. One can dine at a cafe and restaurant and watch the world go by. 

Related Entries

Added October 2022

• 1961: Harry Seidler calls for demolition of the QVB
• NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Sydney Square Scheme (1968)

1987: Underground Sydney

When the redevelopment of the Queen Victoria Building into a shopping complex was completed in 1986, it would change Sydney retailing. Sydney ended up with a major shopping destination in the city centre, but the focus is on something else that might appear minor on paper but did have major ramifications for retailing in central Sydney. Its underground level would link the retail around Town Hall with the soon to be completed Pitt Street Mall.

Source: Roberts, R. 1987. "Underground Sydney: From Town Hall to Hyde Park, it's now possible to walk without ever seeing daylight". The Daily Telegraph, July 6: 10. 

The report claims that it is possible to walk from Town Hall to Elizabeth Street at Hyde Park without seeing daylight. This is not possible, even today. You would have to cross Pitt Street (now a mall) to reach Centrepoint from Grace Bros, even if it meant using the sky bridge. It is possible however to do the trek without physically going outside. 

As for the move towards underground retailing, it had been in the council's agenda for at least two decades beforehand. It was not until the 1980s when this had begun to take off. It was the redevelopment of the Queen Victoria Building that would cement underground retailing in Sydney.

The redevelopment of Centrepoint into Westfield Sydney in 2010 then made it possible to walk to Martin Place without having to cross any streets. Links were built into the Glasshouse retail complex which was linked by sky bridge to the MLC Centre and Martin Place train station. I do remember though pre-redevelopment that it could be done through the former Imperial Arcade and Skygarden. This required going through Lincraft in the Imperial Arcade to make a direct walk to Martin Place possible.

Not long after the QVB redevelopment, the retail podium of 586 George Street also included a direct link between the George Street cinema strip and Town Hall Station. There were plans even to link Regent Place to Town Hall in plans but never happened. Even the proposals for Fraser Residences examined it but did not proceed A lost opportunity for retailers there. In 2000, The Galeries Victoria also joined the underground retail network helped by its location almost directly above Town Hall Station.

While the underground retail complexes and walkways have been of benefit to city retailing, its main weakness is that it takes away foot traffic at street level. Sydney streets are not teeming with people as say Melbourne which largely focuses on retailing at street level and drawing on its network of laneways and historic arcades to lure shoppers.

It has been fifteen years since the Galeries Victoria was built and since then, there have been no new major retail developments built below street level in Sydney's CBD. It has shifted back towards street level. With the success of the Pitt Street Mall in attracting city shoppers, the city retailing precinct has expanded east into Castlereagh and Elizabeth Streets, north towards Martin Place and west onto George Street which over the past decade has attracted major retailers, spearheaded by Apple who opened a flagship store at the corner of George Street and King Street in 2008. UK clothing giant Topshop opened in the former Gowings Building in 2013. The new light rail line snaking its way down George Street could unleash further growth in street level retailing in central Sydney with traffic forced off the city's main throughfare, creating a shopping environment that will be safe for visitors to our city.