Friday 27 February 2015

Pitt Street Mall - the retail heart of the City


This is the Pitt Street Mall in Sydney. It is built on the swamp from which the Tank Stream arose, that very stream which caught the attention of Captain Arthur Phillip in 1788.


The original crowned street was pedestrianised in the late '70s, but it is this decade's renovation which has converted it into an outside living room. It has been estimated that 58,000 people wander this mall on any given weekend day.


Here, by way of comparison, is the relevant section of Pitt Street in 1900, courtesy of The Powerhouse Museum. The cross street in the foreground is King Street.

3 comments:

William Kendall said...

It's certainly warmer and more inviting than our pedestrian mall street downtown right now!

Chrissy Brand said...

Fascinating, I like the contrast- funnily enough that is the same idea I have chosen for your excellent March theme day topic Julie!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Intriguing collection of photos. I am especially interested in the Pitt Street mall - being built on the Tank Stream swamp. When I worked part time - Sydney Uni days - at the Palace Theatre, a small section of the old tank Stream was visible under the floor boards in the lower dressing room area behind the stage. And yes. Sometimes there was a distinct odour. But many claimed the odour was the presence of the Palace Theatre ghost.