Downing Centre
The Downing Centre is a major heritage-listed former department store and now courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features state government courts, including the Local Court, the District Court, and a law library known as the Downing Centre Library. The Downing Centre forms part of the Department of Communities and Justice and houses court services and sheriffs offices.
| Downing Centre | |
|---|---|
Downing Centre, Sydney, as view from Hyde Park. | |
Location in Greater Sydney | |
| Former names | Mark Foy's Piazza Store |
| Etymology | Reg Downing, Attorney General and Minister for Justice |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type |
|
| Architectural style | Interwar Stripped Classical |
| Location | 302 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°52′39″S 151°12′33″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(s) | Arthur Anderson |
| Architecture firm | McCredie & Anderson |
| Main contractor | Douzans Bros |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) |
|
New South Wales Heritage Register | |
| Official name | Sydney Downing Centre |
| Type | Built |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 000393 |
The Downing Centre is located in the Sydney central business district, on Liverpool Street, between Elizabeth Street and Castlereagh Street. It sits opposite the south-west corner of Hyde Park and Museum railway station. A subway links the Downing Centre directly to Museum Station from an entrance on Castlereagh Street.
Originally called the Mark Foy's Piazza Store, the building was renamed as the Downing Centre in 1991 in honour of Reg Downing, a former NSW Attorney General and Minister for Justice. The building was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.