The Downing Centre is a major courthouse

Courthouse

A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...

 complex in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It features Local Courts, the District Court of New South Wales

District Court of New South Wales

The District Court of New South Wales has jurisdiction to hear most indictable offences . It hears appeals from the Local Court and civil claims up to A$750 000. In some circumstances the amount may be higher, e.g. with the consent of the parties or in motor accident claims etc...

 and a law library

Law library

A law library is a library designed to assist law students, attorneys, judges, and their law clerks and anyone else who finds it necessary to correctly determine the state of the law....

 known as the Downing Centre Library.

The Downing Centre is located in the Sydney central business district

Sydney central business district

The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...

, on Liverpool Street

Liverpool Street, Sydney

Liverpool Street is an important east-west thoroughfare of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool Street is in the southern portion of the Sydney central business district and forms the southern boundary of Hyde Park...

 between Elizabeth Street

Elizabeth Street, Sydney

Elizabeth Street is a street in Sydney, Australia.-Description and history:Elizabeth Street runs south from Hunter Street, past Hyde Park and David Jones, Central station and through the inner city suburbs of Surry Hills, Redfern, Waterloo and Zetland...

 and Castlereagh Street

Castlereagh Street, Sydney

Castlereagh Street is a major north-south street in the centre of the Central Business District of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia .-Description:...

. It sits opposite the south-west corner of Hyde Park

Hyde Park, Sydney

Hyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Port Jackson . It is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the...

 and Museum railway station. a subway links the Downing Centre directly to Museum Station from an entrance on Castlereagh Street.

History

The Downing Centre, was originally constructed in 1908 as retail premises for Mark Foys

Mark Foys

Mark Foys was a department store in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, founded by Francis Foy and his brother Mark Foy and named after their father Mark Foy ....

. It was originally a two storey building designed by Arthur Anderson

Arthur Anderson (architect)

Arthur William Anderson was an Australian architect active in the last decade of the 19th Century and the first 40 years of the 20th century. He was a founder and first president of the Federal Council of the Australian Institute of Architects...

 of the architectural firm Mccredie & Anderson. In 1924, Spain Cosh & Epslin Architects in consultation with Ross & Rowe Architects were paid to design eight alterations and additions. The building was originally intended to cover the whole block but was not completed. It is now an 8 storey building with portions of the original building remaining intact. The façade employs the classical orders using white bricks with yellow faience work to the sills and cornices. Two corner towers with yellow pinnacles surmount the building. Art Nouveau influences are evident in the external detailing. Mark Foys closed in 1980 and was taken over by Grace Bros until who traded there until 1983. The building was converted for use as Courts in 1985 and is listed on the Register of the National Estate

Register of the National Estate

The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...

.

External links

• http://www.wunderlite.com.au/downingcentre.html