Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia, which has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.A city's heart builds on a sense of place Sydney Morning Herald 1 October 2007 As home to the Australian Securities Exchange, Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Macquarie Bank, Westpac, and other corporations, it is also a centre of finance and trade. Martin Place has been compared to other major financial districts such as Wall Street in New York City and the Square Mile in London. The General Post Office (GPO) is also located on Martin Place.
Martin Place has become a national Australian icon in popular culture for attracting high-end film and television productions and actors to the area. Martin Place runs between George Street and Macquarie Street, and provides entrances to the Martin Place railway station below street level. Other cross streets include Pitt Street, Castlereagh Street, Elizabeth Street and Phillip Street.
The initial "Martin Place" was the section between George Street and Pitt Street, officially opened 1892, and was named in honour of Sir James Martin, the three time Premier of New South Wales and Chief Justice of Supreme Court of New South Wales. Closed to traffic in stages from 1971, Martin Place is surrounded by many heritage buildings and features the 1927 World War I Sydney Cenotaph, water fountain, entertainment area, railway access and pedestrian seating.
History
Today's Martin Place was built in several phases. Until the late 19th century, only the section between Pitt Street and Castlereagh Street existed in anything resembling the present form, as a short street named Moore Street. Between Pitt Street and George Street there was only a small laneway (similar to nearby surviving laneways such as Angel Place or Hosking Place). In 1863, construction began on the present General Post Office Building on the south side of the laneway. The building was constructed in stages, and when the design changed to provide for a main façade on the longer north side (instead of facing George Street to the west), there were concomitant proposals to widen the existing laneway into a street connected to Moore Street. A fire which destroyed properties to the north of the laneway provided the impetus for the construction, and in 1892 (a year after the Venetian-Italianate-style General Post Office was completed) the widened street was officially opened and named "Martin Place", in honour of New South Wales premier and Chief Justice James Martin. The General Post Office occupied the entire southern frontage of the street.
Both Moore Street and Martin Place became prominent centres of business and finance in Sydney. In 1913, the headquarters of the Commonwealth Bank was constructed on the corner of Moore Street and Pitt Street. In later years, other banks followed with a range of impressive buildings (see "Architecture" below). In 1921, Moore Street was renamed as part of Martin Place.
Conscription rallies for World War I took place here. In 1927, a Cenotaph commemorating the WWI dead was erected. Soon after, the Sydney Municipal Council proposed to extend the street further east towards Macquarie Street. However, the plan was delayed by concerted opposition from landowners of the buildings that would have to be demolished to make way for the extension. One of the buildings demolished to make way for the extended Martin Place was St Stephen's Presbyterian Church, on the east side of Phillip Street, which was replaced by the present church on Macquarie Street in 1935. The extension was finally completed in 1935, resulting in the Martin Place stretching from George Street to Macquarie Street seen today.
Building demolitions A number of the street's older buildings were demolished to make way for new buildings in the mid 20th Century. The most prominent of these was The Australia Hotel demolished in 1971, and replaced by the commercial office tower and retail development MLC Centre in 1977 (now known as 25 Martin Place) designed by architect Harry Seidler. In 1982 the art deco Rural Bank Building was demolished to make way for the post modern State Bank of NSW, completed in 1986.
Pedestrianisation The increasingly important role of Martin Place as the 'heart' or 'town square' of Sydney (see "Events" below) led to calls for the street to be pedestrianised. This was undertaken progressively from 1971 until 1979, when the whole street became a pedestrian mall. During this period three properties, the ANZ bank, the National Mutual building, and the CML building, were saved from destruction after the NSW Builders Labourers Federation placed green bans to enforce National Trust preservation orders. The closure of the street to traffic was partly timed to coincide with the construction of Martin Place railway station under the eastern section of the street. Martin Place was closed between Macquarie and Phillip Streets from January 1972 to facilitate the station's construction."Martin Place Station" The Railwayman April 1972 page 1 The station opened in 1979. Leo Port, the Lord Mayor of Sydney was an advocate of civic design, and was partly responsible for the pedestrianisation of Martin Place and Sydney Square.
Architecture
Martin Place has a large collection of buildings of various styles, from neo-classical to contemporary.
Notable buildings Address Building name Image Description Notes No. 1 General Post Office, Sydney Located at the western end of Martin Place, between George and Pitt Streets. Designed by colonial architect James Barnet, this heritage-listed building was constructed in stages from 1866 to 1891. Barnet's building features a neo-classical sandstone facade, with a colonnade running around the building at street level. Above the centre of the Martin Place facade is the clocktower. This building was the headquarters of the NSW postal system until 1996, when it was sold and refurbished. The building now contains shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars. The Westin hotel and Macquarie Bank office towers stand in the former courtyard, now converted into an atrium. Australia Post maintains a presence in the form of a "Post Shop" at the corner of Martin Place and George Street. No. 2 Bank of Australasia Buildingalso known as 354 George Street A heritage-listed Federation Romanesque building standing on the corner of George Street and Martin Place. The Bank of Australasia merged into ANZ in 1951. The building was saved from demolition in the early 1970s by the NSW Builders Labourers Federation who supported the National Trust by placing a green ban on it. The building has recently been refurbished and will now house retail space. No. 4–10 Challis House Stands on land bought in 1906 for £500 per square foot by the University of Sydney from University endowment funds. The heritage-listed building was designed by W. L. Vernon, Government Architect and Robertson and Marks, Architects, and completed in 1907. The building was named Challis House after John Henry Challis, who in 1880 had bequeathed his estate valued at £276,000 (over $30 million in 2011) to the University. This art deco building is adorned with the Sydney University crest above the door, and forms one of the most important parts of the University's property portfolio. In 2002, the university entered a 99-year lease of the property. No. 5 Commonwealth Trading Bank Building (former) Located on the corner of Martin Place and Pitt Street. Built in 1916, this 12-storey building was designed and project managed by the Sydney architectural firm, J & H.G Kirkpatrick. The building was the first, large-scale all steel-framed "skyscraper" in Australia. Known as the "Sydney Bank" within the Commonwealth Bank, it was built to be the headquarters of the Commonwealth Bank, which served at the time as Australia's central bank. It is nicknamed the "Money Box Building" due to its depiction on money boxes distributed by the Commonwealth Bank to children starting from 1922. No. 9 25 Martin Place (formerly MLC Centre) Sits mainly upon the site of the Australia Hotel, demolished to make way for this 228-metre, reinforced concrete skyscraper, designed by Harry Seidler. The building is a modernist, octagonal column. At the time of its opening in (1977) it was the tallest reinforced concrete office building in the world, and was the tallest building outside North America. Construction of the building was controversial because it caused the demolition of several historic landmark buildings. Tenants include the Consulate of the United States of America. MLC Building An 11-storey art-deco heritage-listed building located on the corner of Castlereagh Street and Martin Place. It was the former headquarters of Mutual Life & Citizens Assurance Company, a large finance company taken over by the National Australia Bank in 2000. Its current principal tenant is restructuring and advisory firm, McGrathNicol. The large, red, carved letters "MLC" are still visible on the clocktower, although a clock is currently missing. No. 39 39 Martin Place (over Martin Place Metro Station) Completed in 2025, 39 Martin Place is a contemporary 28-storey tower built as an over station development on the Sydney CBD Metro line and includes the southern entrances to the Martin Place Metro Station. The building was designed by Sydney based architects Tzannes with design references to the 1920s State Savings Bank Building opposite at 48 Martin Place. The building won the Australian Institute of Architects 2025 Sir Arthur G Stephenson Award for Commercial Architecture. No. 48–50 State Savings Bank Building Later also owned by the Commonwealth Bank, has a distinctive terracotta and pink granite Beaux-Arts façade. It was built as the headquarters of the Government Savings Bank of NSW and opened in 1928. The interior features large scagliola columns, extensive use of marble, and a plaster and pressed metal ceiling. The building's square trading hall was originally one of the largest in the world. A stately vault is housed in the basement. No. 52 52 Martin Place(former State Bank Centre) Built as the headquarters of the NSW State Bank to replace the 1936 Rural Bank Building, which was taken over by Colonial 1996 to form the Colonial State Bank, which itself was taken over in 2000 by the Commonwealth Bank. This 1986 post-modern building with its dark glass facade features a 36-storey tower atop a 2-storey atrium. The former banking chamber was home to the Seven Network's Sydney-based Seven News, Sunrise and Weekend Sunrise, mid-morning program The Morning Show as well as the other Seven News bulletins for 19 years until July 2023. Sky News Australia also has a small single camera studio facing Elizabeth Street. No. 53–63 Formerly the Overseas Union Bank, this 14-storey art-deco heritage-listed building is located on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Martin Place. A former tenant was the Lindt store and café. No. 65 Reserve Bank of Australia Building Located between Phillip and Macquarie Streets. This heritage-listed building houses the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Australia's central bank, including a money museum. No. 60 Sixty Martin Place(former Westpac Building) Located between Phillip Street and Macquarie Street, the building is notable for featuring cantilevered floors on the north side that extend out over the historic St Stephen's Uniting Church on Macquarie Street. The building was completed in 2019, replacing a 28-storey 1960s office block.
Demolished buildings
Several buildings located at Martin Place have been demolished:
St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Phillip Street (1857—1935) The Australia Hotel (1891—1971) Commercial Travellers' Association of New South Wales building (1908—1975) Rural Bank Building (1936–1983)
Adjacent buildings At the Macquarie Street end, the Sydney Hospital.