Don’t Judge a Building by its Façade

The Neoclassical sandstone façades of the Bank Building, from the early 1850s, were originally part of the headquarters of the University's first bankers, the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney (CBC), which stood on the corner of George and Barracks Streets. When CBC decided to build a larger premises near Martin Place, it offered the ground and first storeys of the building to the University. [Ref 1]. Professor Leslie Wilkinson argued that the cost of dismantling, transporting, and reassembling the CBC building would be approximately £1000, far less than the cost of building from scratch. [Ref 2]. The older sections from the CBC building were then merged with Professor Wilkinson's designs and became home to the School of Chemistry. [Ref 3].

This item is part of the University Archives' 70 Years, 70 Stories series, created to celebrate our 70th birthday on 3 May 2024. To discover more stories, explore the 70 Years, 70 Stories collection.

Ref 1: Building, Grounds and Improvement Committee Minutes Nov 1921 to Apr 1926 (01/11/1921 to 22/04/1926), p. 44, [REF-00003142]. University of Sydney Archives.

Ref 2: Howells, Trevor. 2007. University of Sydney Architecture, p. 62. The Watermark Press.

Ref 3: The University of Sydney News Vol 20 No 30 (06/12/1988), p. 246, [REF-00040189]. University of Sydney Archives.