Sydney Town Hall

The Town Hall, in Sydney

The Town Hall of Sydney is a fine example of the architecture in local sandstone, symbol of the wealth and the ambition of the city at the end of the nineteenth century. The Sydney audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this building of Second Empire style inspired by the Town Hall of Paris, that long sheltered the largest organ of the world and hosted concerts and shows before the Opera.

The symbol of the ambition of the city

You have in front of you the Town Hall of Sydney, a fine example of the architecture typical of the city, built in Sydney sandstone, this golden stone that gives the old buildings their so particular character. Its construction began in 1869, and it hosted the first municipal services five years later, in 1874. A true symbol of the wealth of the city at that time, it manifested the independence of Sydney and its will to erect fine buildings to establish its renown. Inspired by the Town Hall of Paris, its architecture reveals elements of the Second Empire style, with its clock tower, its mansard roofs and its careful ornamentation. Inside, the building shelters an exceptional organ that was, at the end of the nineteenth century, the largest organ of the world, a prestigious instrument still admired today. It is moreover here that the great concerts and shows of the city were held, before the Opera of Sydney was inaugurated in 1973 and took over. The Town Hall remains the seat of the municipality and one of the finest testimonies of the Victorian golden age of Sydney, in the heart of the urban animation. A sandstone building and a municipal pride, the Town Hall is a fine stop of the discovery of Sydney.

What to see

Here you admire the Town Hall of Sydney, built in local sandstone between 1869 and 1874, symbol of the wealth and the ambition of the city; of Second Empire style inspired by the Town Hall of Paris, with its clock tower, it shelters an organ that was the largest of the world at the end of the nineteenth century and hosted the great concerts before the Opera. The Town Hall is a pride of Sydney. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Town Hall of Sydney lies in the very centre, near the Queen Victoria Building, reachable on foot or by transport. It is an official building whose façade you admire from the street; the interior access and the concerts follow the conditions in force, which vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

What is exceptional about the Town Hall of Sydney?

Built in local sandstone between 1869 and 1874 in a Second Empire style inspired by the Town Hall of Paris, it shelters an organ that was, at the end of the nineteenth century, the largest of the world; symbol of the wealth and the ambition of Sydney, it hosted the great concerts and shows of the city before the opening of the Opera in 1973.

Where is the Town Hall in Sydney?

In the very centre of Sydney, near the Queen Victoria Building, in Australia.