The grand shopping plaza houses more than a hundred different shops, including retail stores, galleries and diners. Queen Victoria Building is especially well known for its dining options, offering more than 20 cafes and restaurants for grabs. Among its many dining options stands out the Tea Room, a heritage diner built in the concert hall once housed here.
Queen Victoria Building is one of the historical and most beautiful buildings in old Sydney. Now, it houses shops that are neatly arranged inside and continues to hold an old-world charm. For a quick grab, one will find several eateries here. Apart from that, boutiques, department stores, designer shops which are housed in the building cater to all kinds of budgets, age, and taste.
No one who comes to take a tour of the building ever gets bored with so much to see and shop from.
The grand shopping center in the Queen Victoria Building houses about a hundred and fifth shops on four different levels and that surely is a big number to keep anyone busy for hours. Before the Queen Victoria Building was designed by George McRae and came into existence in 1898, there was already a market on the Sydney site but nothing like the present one. Grand in appearance, it has detailed Romanesque architecture which took the labor of many skilled craftsmen to get its final shape.
The building was originally designed to house a concert hall along with offices, coffee shops, warehouses and some shops; particularly to some trades like tailors, florists, and hairdressers but later it went through many changes.
By the 1950s the building was in a dilapidated state, facing threats of demolition. Later in the 1980s, it was revamped and now is considered one of the plush shopping destinations of Sydney.
One of the grandest structures housed on mainland Australia, the Queen Victoria Building is a magnificent shopping plaza sprawling across the length of an entire block.
The beautiful Romanesque structure was built in the year 1898, and its elaborate design was specifically planned in order to employ a large number of workmen for its construction, in a time when Australia was going through recession and it is one of the best Sydney tourist places.
The Building was named thus to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the long-reigning monarch. The glorious structure is characterized by its beautiful stained-glass panels, its magnificent domes, pillars and arches.
The building premises also houses a number of architectural wonders, such as the bronze statue of Queen Victoria and other similar sculptures.
The grand shopping plaza houses more than a hundred different shops, including retail stores, galleries, and diners. Queen Victoria Building is especially well known for its dining options, offering more than 20 cafes and restaurants for grabs.
Among its many dining options stands out the Tea Room, a heritage diner built in the concert hall once housed here.
There are several charming exhibitions scattered across the Queen Victoria Building premises. Along with the portraits of the eponymous Queen, the building also houses a secret sealed letter by the Queen, a Town Hall Palace, a Royal Wishing Well, and two magnanimous clock structures.
Rich in history and architecturally splendid, the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) occupies an entire block on Sydney's George Street and has over 180 of Sydney's finest fashion boutiques, jewellery shops, and homewares, accompanied by delightful cafes and restaurants.
The grand building, built in the 1890s was erected as a Municipal Market on the scale of a Cathedral. The QVB was beautifully restored and re-opened in 1986, and quickly became Sydney's most popular and prestigious shopping center.
The dominant feature is the mighty centre dome, which during the Christmas period is occupied by a giant Christmas tree, a must see for any visitor. Glorious stained glass windows and splendid architecture endure throughout the building and an original 19th-century staircase sits alongside the dome.
The original concept was for an internal shopping street 186-meter (611 ft)-long with two levels of shops on either side. In 1917 and 1935 alterations converted the interior to office space with shops to the external street frontages.
In the first few decades, the QVB had the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar, and the earliest tenants conducted a mixture of commerce, crafts and skills.
There were shops, studios, offices and workrooms for some two hundred traders, dealers and artisans. Housed within the upper galleries were more studious and scholarly tenancies, such as bookshops, sheet music shops, piano-sellers and piano-tuners, as well as the salons of private teachers of music, dancing, singing, elocution, painting, sculpting, drawing and dressmaking. There were also more decorous sports including a billiards saloon, a gymnasium for ladies and a table tennis hall.
Design
The building, on the "scale of a cathedral" was designed by George McRae, a Scottish architect who had emigrated to Sydney in 1884. At the time, Sydney was undergoing a building boom and since in architecture "no one school or style predominated", McRae produced four designs for the building in different styles (Gothic, Renaissance, Queen Anne and Romanesque) from which the Council could choose.
The Council's choice of Victorian Romanesque style conveys the influences of American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. The use of columns, arches, and a prodigal amount of detail such as was used by McRae in the chosen design are typical of Richardsonian Romanesque, an eclectic style identifiably established between 1877 and 1886.
The dominant feature of the building is the central dome which consists of an interior glass dome and a copper-sheathed exterior, topped by a domed cupola.
The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) is an absolute delight. As well as being home to terrific retail outlets, the architecture and ambiance make it a much more rewarding experience than just a trip to the shops. It’s an easy walk from Rydges Sydney Central (head up George Street just past the Town Hall).
Town Hall is the best rail station and it has direct access to the QVB via the Lower Ground Floor. The QVB Bus Station is on the York Street side of the building and there is undercover parking for 700 cars.
The QVB takes up an entire city block. It was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place in dire times, during a severe recession.
The elaborate Romanesque architecture was planned for the grand building so the Government could employ out-of-work craftsmen (stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists) in a worthwhile project. Originally, a concert hall, coffee shops, offices, showrooms, warehouses and a wide variety of tradespeople, such as tailors, mercers, hairdressers and florists, were accommodated.
Some dramatic Art Deco remodelling happened in the 1930’s and from 1959 to 1971 the building was facing demolition because no-one could work out what to do with it. After murmurs of turning it into a casino, a massive restoration project was given the green light in 1982 and the fully-restored building re-opened her doors in 1986.
Since then there have been additional refurbishments like restoring the ballroom plus new escalators, balustrades, bathrooms, signage and painting throughout. It is a monument to the talents of the original builders and artisans as well as those who undertook the restoration and refurbishment – it is a building of grace and beauty that beautifully balances history and architecture with retail and commercial outlets.
Oh! Nearly forgot that bit – there are over 200 shops that offer ladies and men’s fashion, children’s wear and footwear, gifts, accessories, arts & antiques, jewellery, health and beauty, homewares and ATMs as well as a fine selection of restaurants and cafés. Here is a link to the QVB stores, listed by category.
The QVB is disability-friendly with lift access to all floors (at both ends and middle), there is a disability access bathroom on the Lower Ground Floor and wheelchair hire is available from the security desk. The Concierge Desk is on the Ground Floor (near the centre dome) and the friendly team there can assist with directions, general info and a free city map to assist in getting around town.
To know more, please click the below link…