General Post Office, Hobart
General Post Office, Hobart
Hobart General Post Office | |
---|---|
General information | |
Architectural style | Edwardian Baroque |
Address | 9 Elizabeth St |
Town or city | Hobart |
Country | Australia |
Coordinates | 42°52′57″S 147°19′48″E [5] |
Groundbreaking | 1901 |
Opened | 1905 |
Cost | £30,000-£35,000[1] (AUD $50,028) |
Owner | Australia Post |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Alan Cameron Walker |
Hobart General Post Office (Hobart GPO) is a landmark building located on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Macquarie Street in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It stands next to the former Mercury Building and has served as the headquarters of the Tasmanian Postal system since its construction in 1905, though mail processing has now been moved to Glenorchy.
It has been listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List since 2004.[2]
Hobart General Post Office | |
---|---|
General information | |
Architectural style | Edwardian Baroque |
Address | 9 Elizabeth St |
Town or city | Hobart |
Country | Australia |
Coordinates | 42°52′57″S 147°19′48″E [5] |
Groundbreaking | 1901 |
Opened | 1905 |
Cost | £30,000-£35,000[1] (AUD $50,028) |
Owner | Australia Post |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Alan Cameron Walker |
History
The GPO was constructed in 1905, designed by prominent local architect Alan Cameron Walker in Edwardian Baroque style[2] at a cost of £30,000-£35,000.[1] Its foundation stone had been laid in 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall and York, the future King George V. The Commonwealth government however refused to fund the post office tower and bells, the federal government criticising the state for the building of the post office, calling it 'enormous and unnecessary'.[1] ₤1,465 was raised by public subscription to build them; it was named the Queen Victoria Clock Tower and opened on 22 June 1906, a year after the rest of the building.[2] The Clock was made by Fritz Ziegeler of Melbourne.It has the traditional Westminister chimes and is fitted with a Denison double three-legged gravity escapement with jewelled pallets and hardened legs.The Bells are made by Taylor and Sons in Leicestershire , England. Fritz Ziegeler made many clocks in Tasmania. His other Public clock in Hobart is in The Palfreymans Building Corner Elizebeth and Burnett St , North Hobart, this was installed in 1919 and is a small timepiece only. In 1912 Roald Amundsen posted his telegram to the King of Norway from Hobart GPO to announce the first successful trip to the South Pole.[3]
In June 2015 while the GPO was undergoing restoration, vandals climbed scaffolding on the tower and graffitied and damaged the GPO clock. Repair was possible however.[4]