General Post Office, Melbourne: From Past to Present

The General Post Office in Melbourne is a stunning example of Victorian-era architecture. It was built in the 1860s.

The building's design was influenced by the Italian Renaissance style, with a grand clock tower that dominates the city's skyline.

The General Post Office has undergone several renovations over the years, with the most significant one taking place in the 1930s.

A post office was first established in Melbourne on 13 April 1837, but it wouldn't be until 1841 that a permanent post office building would be erected on the site of the present GPO.

The Melbourne General Post Office is a significant landmark in Melbourne's history, and its current building has been in operation since 1841, when the land was set aside as a post office reserve.

The building has undergone several additions and alterations over the years, with the first major addition being the 1887-90 additions of a third storey and an extended clock tower, undertaken during a period of rapid economic development in Victoria.

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The Melbourne General Post Office is of great social and historical significance, and its clock tower and approach stairs have long been considered a landmark, providing a focal point for public meetings for many years.

The building's design reflects the optimism of gold rush Victoria, and its French Second Empire influences are evident in its use of Mansard roofs and arcading.

The General Post Office in Melbourne is a stunning example of Victorian-era architecture.

The building's design was led by architect William Wardell, who drew inspiration from the Italian Renaissance style.

Wardell's design featured a grandiose facade with a central clock tower, which became a prominent landmark in Melbourne.

The building's construction began in 1859 and took nearly 15 years to complete, with a final cost of around £300,000.

In 1858, a design competition was held for a new General Post Office building, with the winners announced on Friday 7 May 1858.

The competition was in two parts, with Crouch and Wilson winning first prize for their exterior design.

Arthur Ebden Johnson won second place for exterior design and also took second place for the interior arrangement.

Edward Rumsey, a British architect, was awarded first prize for the interior arrangement.

Construction started in 1861 on Johnson's design, or so it seemed.

The General Post Office in Victoria underwent significant additions in 1887. A new third level, attic level, and a taller, more ornate clock tower were added to the building.

The clock tower was designed with a Mansard roof, which gave the building much of its Second French Empire grandeur. The clock tower's curved roofs were a notable feature of the design.

The clock tower was made with sandstone sourced from the Grampians. The clock itself was made in Williamstown with parts from Glasgow.

The clock plays 28 tunes and was originally designed to play one tune every 15 minutes, all day and night.

The General Post Office in Melbourne underwent significant changes in the 20th century. The building was extended in 1906-7 with a new façade that matched the original design.

The GPO was remodelled in 1913, turning the sorting hall into a public postal hall with entrances from both Bourke and Elizabeth Streets. Architect Walter Burley Griffin's plan was later modified by John Smith Murdoch.

During this time, the GPO served as a major public space, with the steps being a common meeting place. A tradition of celebrating New Year on the steps of the GPO began, with people gathering to watch the clock strike midnight.

The GPO's postal hall was severely damaged by a fire in 2001, but the redevelopment proceeded as planned. The hall was restored and a contemporary styled extension was added, reopening in 2004 as a high-end fashion retail precinct.

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The 20th century saw significant changes to the GPO building. In 1906-7, the GPO was extended to the north in Elizabeth Street by five bays.

This extension matched the original design, but with only two storeys and a basement. The new façade was a notable addition to the building's structure.

The GPO underwent a major remodel in 1913, turning the sorting hall into a public postal hall. This transformation was designed to make the building more accessible to the public.

Architect Walter Burley Griffin was initially hired to design the works, but his plan was later modified by John Smith Murdoch of the Commonwealth Department of Works and Railways. The remodel was finally completed in 1919.

The public postal hall became a popular gathering space, especially during the New Year celebrations. For a period, it was a tradition to celebrate the start of a new year on the steps of the GPO as the clock struck midnight.

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In the 1990s, Australia Post began a program of closing and selling or leasing out many of the large and historic post office buildings across Australia.

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The Melbourne GPO was first announced for closure in 1993, and various commercial schemes were proposed, but none proceeded until 2001.

A fire severely damaged the interior of the Melbourne GPO on 10 September 2001, especially the postal hall, but the redevelopment still went ahead as planned.

The redevelopment included the restoration of the postal hall and a contemporary styled extension, reopening in late 2004 as a high-end fashion retail precinct.

Williams Boag architects designed the redevelopment, which won two Architect's Institute awards in 2005.

A lift was added into the postal hall in 2010, but the development was not a commercial success.

The GPO was redeveloped again, reopening on 5 April 2014 occupied almost entirely by Australia's first branch of Swedish retail giant H&M.

The Melbourne General Post Office is of great social and historical significance for its association with the development of Melbourne into a major city.

It has been the focal point for social and cultural events as varied as New Year's Eve revelries and Armistice Day celebrations. The building has provided a landmark and a focal point for public meetings for many years.

The clock tower and approach stairs have long been considered a landmark, and the building is the point from which distances from Melbourne to other Victorian centres are measured.

The postal services for Victoria have been based here for more than a century. The building is a grand and monumental two-storey building that was designed in 1859 to occupy the whole of the Bourke and Elizabeth Street site frontages.

The initial building phase reflected the optimism of gold rush Victoria, and the 1887-90 additions of a third storey and an extended clock tower were undertaken in a period of rapid economic development in Victoria.