Pitt Street
Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sections after a substantial stretch of it was removed to make way for Sydney's Central railway station. Pitt Street is well known for the pedestrian only retail centre of Pitt Street Mall, a section of the street which runs from King Street to Market Street.
 Looking north along Pitt Street, c. 2010 | |
  Location of the northern terminus in the Sydney central business district | |
| Former name(s) | Pitt Row |
|---|---|
| Namesake | William Pitt the Younger |
| Owner | City of Sydney |
| Length | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) |
| Location | Sydney central business district |
| Coordinates | 33°51′41″S 151°12′33″E |
| North end | Circular Quay |
| Major junctions | Bridge Street King Street Pitt Street Mall Park Street Bathurst Street Goulburn Street |
| South end | Railway Square |
| Other | |
| Status |
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Pitt Street is a one way (southbound only) from Circular Quay to Pitt Street Mall and (northbound only) from Pitt Street Mall to Goulburn Street, while Pitt Street Mall is for pedestrians only. It is dominated by retail and commercial office space.
History
Pitt Street was originally named Pitt Row,[1] and is one of the earliest named streets in Sydney. Pitt Street is believed to have been named by Governor Arthur Phillip in honour of William Pitt the Younger, at the time, the Prime Minister of Great Britain.[2] In 1853, Pitt Street was extended north from Hunter Street to Circular Quay.[3]
Pitt Street was previously a one-way street in a southerly direction from Circular Quay to Campbell Street. In preparation for the construction of the Pitt Street Mall, in February 1987 the sections between Hunter Street and Martin Place, and Martin Place and King Street were converted to two-way cul de sacs to allow the Martin Place plaza to be extended. This was later reverted and today the Circular Quay to King Street section is one-way throughout in a southerly direction. From Goulburn Street to Park Street was converted to become one-way in a northerly direction. The Market Street to Park Street section initially remained as a southbound street, but was later converted to run northbound. The Goulburn Street to Campbell Street section was converted to two-way.[4][5][6]
Tram line
The Circular Quay to Central station line was an important part of the Sydney tram network. It was an extremely busy service for passengers transferring from suburban trains, particularly prior to the opening of the City Circle underground railway line in 1926. Trams operated in a loop from Central station, running north along Pitt Street to Circular Quay returning south via Castlereagh Street. These tracks were also used by some eastern and south-western routes during busy periods. The line closed on 27 September 1957 with four tram services replaced with buses and three others diverted to operate via Elizabeth Street.[7][8] The line made use of the sandstone viaduct onto the colonnade above Eddy Avenue at Central station, which since 1997 has formed part of the Inner West Light Rail.
Heritage-listed properties
The following properties, located on or adjacent to Pitt Street, are listed on various national, state, and/or local government heritage registers:
- Bulletin Place warehouses, on Bulletin Place, between Pitt Street and Macquarie Place[9][10][11]
- Commonwealth Trading Bank Building[12][13]
- Kings Hotel[14]
- Pitt Street Uniting Church[15]
- Soul Pattinson Building[16]
- The Strand Arcade[17]
- Sydney School of Arts building[18]
- Former Sydney Water Head Office[19]
- The Sydney Club[20]
- Wales House,[21] now part of the Radisson Blu hotel chain[22]
Gallery
Sydney's first Tramways depot, corner of Pitt Street and what was then Gipps St West and Garden Road, looking SE across the Old Cemeteries towards Surry Hills. Eddy Avenue roughly follows Garden Road,[23] c. 1880._City_Tattersals_Club.JPG.webp)
_Pitt_Street_(a).JPG.webp)
Building in Italianate style_Pitt_Street_(d).JPG.webp)
Restored 1903 building
Pitt Street Mall from King Street looking south
Looking south c. 1900
Archival image of Pitt and Hunter Streets, showing Wales HousePitt_St_Uniting_Church-5.jpg.webp)
Pitt Street Uniting Church interior
References
- "NOTES AND ANECDOTES ABOUT OLD PITT STREET: FROM ONE OfIr.C. H. BERTIE'S ARRESTING ARTICLES". National Library of Australia. The Freeman's Journal. 1 July 1920. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- Reed, A. W. (1973). Place Names of Australia (1984 reprinted ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Reed Books. p. 176. ISBN 0-589-50128-3.
- City of Sydney, Street Names 22 May 2009
- Changes to City Plan Effective February 8, 1987 Daily Telegraph 27 January 1987 page 15
- Work starts on new park street The Sun-Herald 8 February 1987 page 23
- Pitt Street mall Transit Australia May 1987 page 90
- New Details of Sunday's CHange-over to Buses in Sydney Sydney Morning Herald 27 September 1957 page 4
- Buses Replace Trams in Two Sydney Streets Truck & Bus Transportation November 1957 page 46
- "Bulletin Place Restaurant". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00651. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Building". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00652. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Warehouse (former)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00653. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Commonwealth Trading Bank Building, 108-120 Pitt St, Sydney, NSW, Australia (Place ID 1837)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of the Environment. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- "Former "Commonwealth Bank of Australia Building" including interiors". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- "Sugar House". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00417. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Pitt Street Uniting Church". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00022. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Former "Phoenix Chambers" and Soul Pattinson Store Including Interior". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- "Strand Arcade". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01864. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- "Sydney School of Arts". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00366. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Sydney Water Head Office (former) (1939 building)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01645. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- "Sydney Club". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00583. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Wales House". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00586. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- "Gallery". Radisson Blu Sydney. Radisson Hotels. n.d. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- "Map of the city of Sydney, New South Wales". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
External links
- Catherine Bishop (2011). "Women of Pitt Street 1858". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 30 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]
- Shirley Fitzgerald – City of Sydney History Unit (2008). "Poverty Point [corner of Park and Pitt Streets]". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 28 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]
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