Downing Centre

Downing Centre
Downing Centre, Sydney, as view from Hyde Park.
Downing Centre is located in Sydney
Downing Centre
Location in Greater Sydney
Former namesMark Foy's Piazza Store
EtymologyReg Downing, Attorney General and Minister for Justice[1]
General information
StatusCompleted
Type
Architectural styleInterwar Stripped Classical
Location302 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Coordinates33°52′39″S 151°12′33″E / 33.8774°S 151.2091°E / -33.8774; 151.2091
Construction started1901
Opened1908
Renovated1924
1985
ClientMark Foy's
OwnerGovernment of New South Wales
LandlordDepartment of Communities and Justice
Technical details
MaterialBrick, iron
Floor count8
Design and construction
Architect(s)Arthur Anderson
Architecture firmMcCredie & Anderson
Main contractorDouzans Bros
Renovating team
Architect(s)
Official nameSydney Downing Centre
TypeBuilt
Designated2 April 1999
Reference no.000393

The Downing Centre is a major heritage-listed former department store and now courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features state government courts, including the Local Court, the District Court, and a law library known as the Downing Centre Library. The Downing Centre forms part of the Department of Communities and Justice and houses court services and sheriffs offices.

The Downing Centre is located in the Sydney central business district, on Liverpool Street, between Elizabeth Street and Castlereagh Street. It sits opposite the south-west corner of Hyde Park and Museum railway station. A subway links the Downing Centre directly to Museum Station from an entrance on Castlereagh Street.

Originally called the Mark Foy's Piazza Store, the building was renamed as the Downing Centre in 1991 in honour of Reg Downing, a former NSW Attorney General and Minister for Justice.[1] The building was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[2]

  1. ^ a b "Death Of Robert Reginald Downing, A Former Minister Of The Crown". Hansard, New South Wales Legislative Council. Parliament of New South Wales. 13 September 1994. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Sydney Downing Centre". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00393. Retrieved 6 February 2019. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.