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14_ORR_LIMINA JOURNAL ARTICLE VOL 13 (2007) copy.pdf (1.38 MB)

The Sydney General Post Office: a metaphor for Australian Federation

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posted on 2023-05-18, 17:59 authored by Orr, K
The architecture of the Sydney General Post Office, completed from 1864 to 1891, captures the spirit of the Australian populace in the period preceding Federation. By the time the carvings on the Pitt Street façade were commenced, Sydney had hosted an international exhibition and become a world city; and an emerging urban ethos of pride in the city was encouraging widespread interest in further development. The controversial carvings reflected this changing temper. The completion of the clock tower in 1891 marked a new stage in the life of the city. The physical form of the metropolis had nurtured the ideals and aspirations of society and now provided a platform for nation building. The remarkable clock tower was used as a metaphor for Federation in a poem by the Federalist, Robert Garran. Australian Federation, claims John Hirst in The Sentimental Nation, was a people’s movement and an outcome of national sentiment. This paper is the first to identify how the grand architecture of the General Post Office helped people to imagine themselves as part of a larger national and international community.

History

Publication title

Limina

Volume

13

Pagination

66-79

ISSN

1324-4558

Department/School

School of Architecture and Design

Publisher

University of Western Australia Department of History

Place of publication

Australia

Rights statement

Copyright 2007 The Author

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Understanding Australia’s past

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