Australian Subscription/Sydney Public Library
The State Library of NSW began life as the Australian Subscription Library in 1826, being established at a meeting at the Sydney Hotel chaired by barrister John Mackaness. Library membership was subject to committee approval. Dr James Mitchell, father of David Scott Mitchell (who would later bequeath his collection to the library), was a committee member from 1832 to 1853 and Vice President from 1856 to 1869. In December 1827 operations began in rented premises in Pitt Street and in the two years following, the Library led a peripatetic existence having been located a few years in George Street, Bridge Street, Macquarie Street and Macquarie Place. The library had financial problems and required more space to house its growing collections.[6] Negotiations in 1838 to construct a new library building broke down over member unwillingness to broaden access to the library, however later negotiations were more successful and construction of a new library building began in 1843.
The foundation stone for this new building, on the corner of Bent and Macquarie Streets, was laid by Alexander Macleay and it was opened in 1845. Financial difficulties continued, and by 1869 the subscription library was in serious debt. The New South Wales Government was persuaded to buy it for £5100 (£1500 for the books and £3600 for the building).
In September 1869, the Sydney Free Public Library opened its doors at the Bent Street premises with a stock of 20 000 volumes. Over 60,000 people visited the library in its first year of operation as the Free Public Library. Robert Cooper Walker was appointed Principal Librarian. He, in collaboration with the Trustees (led by Charles Badham), worked to expand the educational role of the library both through collection expansion and the production of printed catalogues of the library's collection. The library expanded its operations, opening a lending branch in 1877. Its collection continued to grow, causing continual storage and overcrowding problems; new additions included a First Folio in 1885 and the papers of William Bligh in 1902.
In 1898, Mitchell announced his intention to leave his collection to the people of New South Wales, subject to conditions including that the collection would be known as "the Mitchell Library". Although his offer was quickly accepted, construction of a new building to house the collection was delayed for several years. The Mitchell Library officially opened on 8 March 1910; the public library remained in the Bent Street building.
Sir William Dixson offered in 1919 to leave his collection of pictures, manuscripts and other materials relating to Australiana and the Pacific (particularly early European exploration) to the library; his offer was accepted in 1924. After a series of delays construction began on a new wing to house the collection, which was opened on 21 October 1929. At that time the Bent Street library was closed and its contents transferred to the Mitchell Library and Dixson Wing.
The Bent Street library building was demolished in 1967 to make way for the Premier Wing of the State Office Block. This in turn was demolished for the Aurora Place/Macquarie Apartments complex, which won both the Wilkinson and Sulman architecture awards in 2004.
The State Office Block was built between 1961 and 1964 in the historic government quarter of Sydney. It was opened by the then Premier Robert Askin on 19th September 1967. For a short time it was Sydney's tallest building, and was one of the last major government buildings constructed in this quarter. The office of the Premier moved into the building from the Old Treasury Building, and State Cabinet meetings were held in the top-floor cabinet room. The demolition of the State Office Block in 1997 was strongly opposed by many Australian architects, not only because the building was only 33 years old, but also that they believed it to be one of the better examples of mid-1960s modernist architecture in Sydney.
The State Office Block was designed by Ken Woolley, a young architect in the NSW Government Architect's Office under the Government Architect EA Farmer, and was built by the NSW Department of Public Works. The New South Wales Coat of Arms in the lift lobby of the Premier's Wing of The State Office Block were created in oxidised bronze by sculptor Bert Flugelman. The Arms were made by Flugelman to be double-sided, as they were viewed from both sides within the lift lobby, and were the only coat of arms in the building modelled and made in this way.
