North Sydney Post Office 1895 Today

"North Sydney Post Office is a landmark feature of the busy North Sydney CBD. It was built from 1885 to 1889 by James Reynolds and added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 2000.

The first post office in North Sydney opened 1st May 1854, trading under the name of St Leonard’s, the official name for the area until 1890. In 1884, the School of the Arts was appropriated for the construction of a combined Post Office, Court House and Police Station.

The three buildings were completed 1889, with the cost of the post office being £4500. The clock tower was built over the entrance in 1895 at a cost of £965, with the clock being installed in July 1900. The delay in installing the clock had been caused by the postmaster general recommending that if the residents wished for a clock in the tower, then they should contribute a third of the cost.

During 1974–1975 the post office underwent a major renovation, specifically of the interiors where little remains of the original fabric. North Sydney Post Office retains the features which make it culturally significant, such as the elegant clock tower, arcaded porches, and pedimented portico, along with its overall style, scale and form."