The
Queen Victoria Building, or QVB, is a
grand Victorian building located in the
heart of Sydney's CBD. The elaborate neo-Byzantine
architecture presents a glittering contrast
to the more severe modern buildings around
it. Measuring 190 metres long by 30 wide,
it fills an entire city block, bounded
by George, Market, York and Druitt Streets.
It currently serves as a shopping centre.
The Queen Victoria Building seen from
the southern endThe site, originally the
first Sydney markets, was selected for
the construction of a grand government
building, intended to employ skilled craftsmen,
out of work during a severe recession.
Designed by architect George McRae, it
was completed in 1898. First known as
the George Street Market, the Queen Victoria
Building was designed as a monument to
the then long reigning monarch. The building
as completed included a concert hall,
and coffee shops and showrooms shared
the interior arcade with tradesmen such
as tailors, mercers, hairdressers and
florists. Over the years sometimes drastic
changes were made, with the concert hall
becoming the municipal library and Sydney
City Council offices displacing many of
the commercial tenants.
The
building steadily deteriorated, and as
recently as 1959 it was threatened with
demolition. During the 1970s it was restored
by AW Edwards, a construction company,
and is now home to a wide variety of mostly
upmarket boutiques and "brand-name"
shops. The interior, showing the multi-levelled
arcades on either side of great lightwells.The
dominant feature is the huge Centre Dome,
consisting of an interior glass dome and
a copper-sheathed exterior, topped by
a domed cupola. Many smaller domes in
a range of sizes dot the roofline, most
notably a pair overtopping each end of
the rectangular building. Stained glass
windows, including a cartwheel window
depicting the ancient arms of the City
of Sydney, admit light into the central
area, and the roof itself incorporates
arched skylights running lengthways north
and south from the central dome. The intricate
collonades, arches, balustrades and cupolas
make the exterior a visual feast of Victorian
fussiness. Inside, the building consists
of four main shopping floors, the top
three pierced by voids protected by decorated
cast-iron railings. Much of the tilework,
especially under the central dome, is
original, and the remainder is in keeping
with this style. underground passageways
lead off to Town Hall Station at the southern
end, and to a food court at the north.
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