Vanished Sydney

Crowds at Dawn Service in Martin Place (circa 1935)

The faces in this crowd show just how much Anzac Day meant, and continues to mean, to Australians.

Kissing at Martin Place (1945)

Taken at Martin Place on 15 August 1945 during the celebrations for VP (Victory in the Pacific Day).

Celebrations in Martin Place, 11 November 1918 (Armistice Day)

Even since before the construction of the Cenotaph in 1927, Martin Place has been a gathering place for the commemoration of war - the mourning of its victims, and the celebration of its end.

Armistice Day (1918)

This image of the celebration of the end of World War I at Martin Place in Sydney was sent by Mr Hubert Overall to his mother, of Sulphur Creek, Tasmania, with his Christmas greetings for 1918.

General Post Office and Martin Place, Sydney (circa early 1920s)

Martin Place extended only as far as Pitt Street, until the demolition of buildings on the various cross streets in the early 1930s. This photo was also taken before the construction of the Cenotaph in 1927. 

Rain, Martin Place (1937)

Coronation Procession, Martin Place (1937)

At the top left of this picture sits a building - brand new at the time, and possibly even still under construction in this photograph - which in the past 48 hours has become horribly familiar to people across Sydney and the world, as the site of an appalling tragedy. 

Today we remember the innocent victims, the survivors, their family, friends, loved ones and rescuers, and vow that this tragedy will bind Sydneysiders together, rather than tearing them apart.

Workers, Martin Place (1938)

For a century, Martin Place has been the central nervous system of  Sydney, a place for business, shopping, and pleasure, and the seat of political power in the state of New South Wales.

Posting this with hope that today's siege in Martin Place ends peacefully, at a time of year when we are celebrating goodwill to all and peace to all mankind. 

Richardson & Wrench, 92 Pitt St (1919)

Believe it or not, the white building at the centre, at 90 Pitt Street, is still extant. The Richardson & Wrench company survives as a brand name. These would have been amongst the tallest buildings in Sydney at the time.

Property at 240 Pitt Street (1940)

Jujitsu, dancing, musical instruments, souvenirs, coffee, and 'plumbing and sanitary engineers' - all available in the one place.

These buildings are long gone, having been demolished for the Pitt Centre Cinema in the 1970s, which itself has been replaced by a skyscraper in the past few years.

Even so, this part of Pitt Street still retains some of its musical roots, with Allans-Billy Hyde (an amalgamation of two of Australia's oldest music companies) occupying the nearby Bank of New South Wales building, one of the rare survivors of this era.

The Lyceum Theatre, Decorated for Premiere of 'The Flying Doctor' (1936)

Hollywood star Charles Farrell came to Australia to film The Flying Doctor (1936), an epic of the formation of the Royal Flying Doctor service.

Many years later, the film was literally rescued from the rubbish tip when it was discovered by workers dismantling a former film studio and vault.

The Lyceum Theatre is long gone, having been severely damaged by fire in the late 1960s and replaced by the current building in 1991.

The same site today.

Pitt Street on a Rainy Day (circa 1933)

Here is a view of Pitt Street in which it is easier to imagine yourself today. Both the General Post Office at left and Commonwealth Bank building at right are substantially unchanged, though the bank is currently undergoing extensive renovations.

The same view today.

Men modelling hats in Pitt Street, for City Hatters (1934)

This sartorial display took place in celebration of Panama and Straw Hat Week 1934. And what better thing to celebrate than panama and straw hats?

Nos 96-108 Pitt Street (1919)

The vast sandstone canyon of old Pitt Street survives in fits and bursts, but this stand of buildings on the corner of Pitt Street and Martin Place has been completely obliterated.

The same view today.

Fort Denison (Pinchgut) - A Relic of Early Sydney (1939)