Queen Victoria Building

Queen Victoria Building
The Queen Victoria Building, as viewed from George Street
Queen Victoria Building Location in the Sydney central business district
Alternative names	QVB
Etymology	Queen Victoria
General information
Type	Marketplace (original use); Local government administration and City of Sydney Library (subsequent use); Shopping centre (current use)
Architectural style	Romanesque revival
Location	429–481 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales
Country	Australia
Coordinates	33°52′18″S 151°12′24″E / 33.871758°S 151.206666°E / -33.871758; 151.206666
Current tenants	Various
Groundbreaking	December 1893 (Foundation stone)
Construction started	1893
Completed	1898; 126 years ago (1898)
Opened	21 July 1898 (1898-07-21) (by Matthew Harris, Mayor); 25 August 2009 (2009-08-25) (reopened by Clover Moore, Lord Mayor)
Renovated	June 1917 1933–1935 1979–1986 2006–2009
Renovation cost	A$48 million (2006)
Client	Council of the City of Sydney
Owner	Vicinity Centres, Link REIT
Technical details
Material	Sydney sandstone clad walls, brick and concrete, steel roof structure with concrete and fibreglass domes painted to look like concrete
Floor count	Four, including basement
Design and construction
Architect(s)	George McRae
Structural engineer	George Massey
Other designers	William Priestly MacIntosh
Main contractor	Edwin & Henry Phippard
Known for	Royal Clock
Renovating team
Architect(s)	Stephenson & Turner and Rice Daubney (1979); Ancher Mortlock and Woolley (2006)
Other designers	Freeman Rembel (2006)
Website
www.qvb.com.au
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name	Queen Victoria Building; QVB
Type	State heritage (built)
Criteria	a., b., c., d., e., f., g.
Designated	5 March 2010
Reference no.	1814
Type	Market building
Category	Commercial

The Queen Victoria Building (abbreviated as the QVB) is a heritage-listed late-nineteenth-century building located at 429–481 George Street in the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Designed by the architect George McRae, the Romanesque Revival building was constructed between 1893 and 1898 and is 30 metres (98 ft) wide by 190 metres (620 ft) long. The domes were built by Ritchie Brothers, a steel and metal company that also built trains, trams and farm equipment. The building fills a city block bounded by George, Market, York, and Druitt Streets. Designed as a marketplace, it was used for a variety of other purposes, underwent remodelling, and suffered decay until its restoration and return to its original use in the late twentieth century. The property is co-owned by the City of Sydney and Link REIT,^[1] and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.^[2]