Lord Mayor's Message
Welcome to Sydney Town Hall, the City of Sydney’s most important civic heritage building
After 23 months closure for a $40 million dollar fire safety and essential services upgrade and associated restoration, we are re-opening the doors to the people of Sydney.
We have completed the first comprehensive overhaul of building services since the 1930s!
We had to act! Wiring and piping was old, the plant and operating systems inefficient. Most critically, fire safety for the protection of the building and its occupants including 360,000 visitors annually, was not in accordance with current codes.
A three tiered fire protection system comprising early warning alarms, fire sprinklers to the whole building and smoke exhausting and exit lighting for safe emergency egress, now make this large and important public venue code compliant.
New plant, sustainable lighting and control and automatic cut-off systems give about 30% energy efficiency, and we have installed the city’s largest array of solar panels on the northern roof supplementing 48KW of power.
Sydney Town Hall is one of Sydney's most iconic landmarks. Completed in 1889, it is one of the grandest late-Victorian buildings to survive in Australia. It has been the seat of continuous city government for 120 years, and has a long tradition of hosting major civic, community and cultural celebrations.
These unique qualities make it a sought-after location for special events and celebrations. With the recent essential services upgrade I am confident that the building will continue to provide Sydney with an outstanding community resource.
As well as substantial restoration work in affected areas, we took the initiative to transform Lower Town Hall into an accessible and attractive multi-purpose public venue, and we are providing exhibition spaces where City treasures and historic artefacts can be displayed.
This work marks the completion of Stage 1 of a five year project planned to secure and enhance Sydney Town Hall’s future. The next stage is the restoration of the external stone work starting with the 1882 clock tower.
For more information about the upgrade download the brochure | PDF 6Mb.
