Wales House, Sydney

Wales House

Company type	Heritage-listed building
Industry	Hospitality, Former newspaper office and bank
Founded	1922
Founder	Manson & Pickering (designers)
Headquarters	Sydney CBD , Australia
Area served	Sydney CBD
Key people	John Fairfax and Sons, Bank of New South Wales
Products	Hotel (Radisson Blu), Offices (historical)
Owner	Wales House Nominees Pty Ltd

Wales House is a heritage-listed structure formerly serving as a newspaper office and bank, now operating as a hotel located at 64–66 Pitt Street, in Sydney CBD, New South Wales, Australia. The building, also referred to as the Bank of NSW Building, was designed by Manson & Pickering and erected between 1922 and 1929 by Stuart Bros. Currently owned by Wales House Nominees Pty Ltd, it was officially registered on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. Positioned at the corner of Pitt, Hunter, and O'Connell Streets, it originally accommodated offices for John Fairfax and Sons' The Sydney Morning Herald from 1927 until 1955. Subsequently, it was acquired by the Bank of New South Wales, colloquially known as "The Wales," which inspired the building's name. It has since been transformed into a Radisson Blu international hotel.

History

The The Sydney Morning Herald was under the stewardship of the Fairfax family for nearly one and a half centuries, significantly influencing Sydney’s social landscape. The newspaper established its initial offices on this site at the intersection of Pitt, Hunter, and O’Connell Streets in 1856 when James Reading Fairfax joined his father John Fairfax, the paper’s founder.

By the early 1920s, the original premises no longer met the company’s needs. Following James Fairfax’s death in 1919, his son James Oswald Fairfax ordered the demolition of the old offices and commissioned architects Manson and Pickering to design the current edifice. The construction by Stuart Bros occurred in three phases completed in 1924, 1927, and 1929. The original building from 1856 remained standing until completion of the first stage in 1924 before being demolished.

The sandstone structure features lower levels clad with trachyte sourced from Mount Gibraltar quarries and interiors embellished with Caleula marble. Primarily serving The Sydney Morning Herald personnel, it also accommodated tenants such as the SMH Art Gallery and offices for Art in Australia after 1934.

Between 1954 and 1955, a new facility for The Sydney Morning Herald was built near Broadway. Consequently, the 1922–1929 building was sold to the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac) in 1956, which launched a public branch there in 1958. Internal renovations included installing a sub-basement car park where printing presses had operated for approximately thirty years.

Fairfax & Sons phase

Wales House was completed in the Interwar Commercial Renaissance Palazzo style and was once described by Building magazine as "the largest building in the Southern Hemisphere."

The twelve-storey building includes basement and sub-basement levels. Its structural components—frame, floors, stairs, roof, and awning roof—are constructed from reinforced concrete. The street-facing facade exhibits a restrained "Modern Renaissance" or "Italian Renaissance Palazzo" aesthetic inspired by Florentine and Roman palazzi from the 15th and 16th centuries. Bowral Trachyte clads the basement and ground floors while Sydney sandstone covers upper levels. Windows are fitted with steel frames treated with zinc spray.

The primary entrance is situated at the Hunter Street corner on ground level. Pitt Street features two basement entrances designated for tenants; O'Connell Street includes one entrance for The Sydney Morning Herald staff plus two loading bays. The basement through first floors display heavy rustication with projecting bays marking the ends of Pitt and O’Connell Street facades. Triplet windows with arched hoods connected by continuous string courses adorn the first floor; above this lies plain ashlar masonry with grouped triplet windows highlighted by a pronounced sill course.

Balconies are present on the first floor above entrances on Pitt and Hunter Streets and on the sixth floor between bays. Attached Tuscan columns extend upward from these balconies to the ninth floor, supporting an extensive entablature encircling all street frontages. Bay windows fill spaces between columns. The entablature comprises an architrave, frieze, and cornice projecting approximately 1.2 meters, upheld by a robust reinforced concrete cantilever. Above this lies an attic storey featuring semi-circular decorated windows terminating projecting bays along with single hooded windows between them. Each facade is finished with a string course and parapet.

A reinforced concrete awning roof accommodates motor rooms and ventilation equipment. The Hunter Street entrance is distinguished by a semi-circular portico supported by polished Tuscan columns; incorporated above this entrance is the sandstone head of Caxton salvaged from the original 1856 building. At the curved junction of Pitt and O’Connell Streets stands an ornate circular tower rising three stories above roof level topped with a copper-clad dome and lantern crowned by a flagpole.

A central light court within this triangular-shaped site provides natural illumination and ventilation throughout all floors down to basement offices. The internal walls are plain cement rendered with steel-framed windows on each level.

Exterior alterations over time include:

• In 1928 – Enclosure of an outdoor gymnasium on the roof with an adjoining dressing room facing Pitt Street South.
• In 1930 – Addition of a new loading dock at Pitt Street north.
• In 1934 – Establishment of The Sydney Morning Herald Art Gallery on the fourth floor; later relocated with a new entrance featuring a Wunderlich awning at Pitt Street.
• In 1941 – Creation of wartime office space for the Ministry of Munitions beneath the awning roof.
• In 1946 – Installation of kitchen and dining facilities on the roof; formation of loading dock through enlargement of an O’Connell Street window.
• In 1950 – Construction of new stairwell at O’Connell Street entrance.
• In 1951 – Addition of a second sub-basement opening at northern end of Pitt Street facade; extension of awning accordingly.

Original Interior

Designed predominantly to support John Fairfax & Sons' publishing operations alongside leased office areas, Fairfax occupied sub-basement and ground floors facing Pitt and O’Connell Streets; all floors from first to third; part of O’Connell frontage from fourth through ninth floors; plus public access at Hunter Street corner serviced by two lifts connecting administrative levels. Staff accessed via O’Connell Street adjacent to two cart docks; goods lifts served all floors. Two principal full-height staircases catered separately to Fairfax operations (O’Connell Street) and leased offices (Pitt Street).

Although much original interior detailing has been lost, contemporary documentation highlights interiors that conveyed modernity and affluence typical of John Fairfax & Sons. The most elaborately designed areas were public spaces spanning basement through first floor featuring traditional materials such as marble, timber joinery, terrazzo flooring; walls clad in marble or ceramic tiles; decorative plaster ceilings; polished timber fittings; and brass hardware.

Distinctive interior elements included a curved portico step with suspended trachyte ceiling—a rare feature in Sydney—pendant lamps styled like regal canopies, richly veined native marbles used decoratively, plus an impressive central marble staircase with wrought metal balustrades dividing into two wings.

Interior modifications over time:

• In 1934 – Opening of The Sydney Morning Herald Art Gallery on fourth floor.
• In 1934 – Establishment of offices for Ure Smith's "Art in Australia" magazine on seventh floor after acquisition.
• In 1934 – Conversion of former schoolroom on first floor into office space.
• In 1934 – Subdivision of ground and first floors with set-back counters to enlarge public areas.
• In 1936 – Partition changes on first floor; extensions into light court from ground through third floors.
• In 1937 – Relocation of Art Gallery to basement entrance on Pitt Street.
• In 1941 – Roof construction for wartime office accommodation.
• In 1944 – Excavation beneath sub-basement along north wall to accommodate printing presses.
• In 1946 – Addition of kitchen and dining facilities atop roof.

Bank of New South Wales period

The external refurbishments for the Bank of New South Wales involved significant modifications to the branch's functional areas. The basement was adapted to house the Savings Bank, chambers, offices, safe deposit vaults, and Trading Bank strong rooms, along with access to a newly created vestibule at the Pitt Street entrance. On the ground floor, a new Trading Bank chamber, Travel Department, and various offices were introduced.

• 1956 – Introduction of a new entrance on O'Connell Street.
• 1957 – Basement car park accessed via new north entrance on Pitt Street.
• 1959 – Reduction of Art Gallery awning size; removal of lantern fixtures.
• 1968 – Extensive repairs to sandstone cladding by Loveridge & Hudson, including re-pointing and replacement of cornices and parapet stones.
• 1955–1960 – Widespread partition modifications across multiple floors.
• 1956 – Replacement of goods lifts on O'Connell Street; establishment of sub-basement car park; Bank of New South Wales occupied both basement and ground levels.
• 1961 – Installation of offices and suspended ceilings on the first floor.
• 1964 – Implementation of computer systems on the ninth floor.
• 1965 – Air conditioning introduced through window-mounted fan coil units.
• 1966 – Computer equipment installed on the eighth floor accompanied by new rooftop air conditioning plant.
• 1967 – Expansion of computer installations to both seventh and eighth floors.
• 1968 – Comprehensive refurbishments conducted on most floors.
• 1981 – Opening of a health centre on the tenth floor.
• 1984 – Restoration of the first-floor boardroom following prior subdivision.

Radisson Hotels period

The Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel occupies the frontage along O'Connell Street.

Heritage listing

As recorded on 20 May 2009, this location retained a continuous 99-year connection (1856–1955) with The Sydney Morning Herald, recognized as Australia's longest-standing newspaper. The building was expressly designed for this publication's operations, which it accommodated from 1927 until 1955. Its distinctive rounded corner, positioned on a prominent narrow-vee site, contributes a unique feature to the urban landscape. The edifice embodies the prosperity and achievements of publisher John Fairfax & Sons and represents the influential role newspapers held in society prior to the advent of electronic media.

The façade is an exemplar of the Interwar Commercial Renaissance Palazzo architectural style, projecting an image consistent with The Sydney Morning Herald's conservative, substantial, influential, and responsible corporate identity.

Notable surviving interior components include the Manager's Room adjacent to the Elevator Vestibule, portions of the Assistant Manager's Room, and the first-floor Board Room. While these areas are not entirely intact, they demonstrate high-quality finishes and a restrained design that highlights Australian joinery timbers.

Wales House was officially entered into the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

See also

• Australian non-residential architectural styles