Pitt Street

Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sections after a substantial stretch of it was removed to make way for Sydney's Central railway station. Pitt Street is well known for the pedestrian only retail centre of Pitt Street Mall, a section of the street which runs from King Street to Market Street.

Pitt Street is a one way (southbound only) from Circular Quay to Pitt Street Mall and (northbound only) from Pitt Street Mall to Goulburn Street, while Pitt Street Mall is for pedestrians only. It is dominated by retail and commercial office space.

History

Pitt Street was originally named Pitt Row,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and is one of the earliest named streets in Sydney. Pitt Street is believed to have been named by Governor Arthur Phillip in honour of William Pitt the Younger, at the time, the Prime Minister of Great Britain.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1853, Pitt Street was extended north from Hunter Street to Circular Quay.<ref>City of Sydney, Street Names 22 May 2009</ref>

File:Pitt St, Sydney from The Powerhouse Museum Collection.jpg

Pitt Street, Template:Circa

Pitt Street was previously a one-way street in a southerly direction from Circular Quay to Campbell Street. In preparation for the construction of the Pitt Street Mall, in February 1987 the sections between Hunter Street and Martin Place, and Martin Place and King Street were converted to two-way cul de sacs to allow the Martin Place plaza to be extended. This was later reverted and today the Circular Quay to King Street section is one-way throughout in a southerly direction. From Goulburn Street to Park Street was converted to become one-way in a northerly direction. The Market Street to Park Street section initially remained as a southbound street, but was later converted to run northbound. The Goulburn Street to Campbell Street section was converted to two-way.<ref>Changes to City Plan Effective February 8, 1987 Daily Telegraph 27 January 1987 page 15</ref><ref>Work starts on new park street The Sun-Herald 8 February 1987 page 23</ref><ref>Pitt Street mall Transit Australia May 1987 page 90</ref>

Tram line

The Circular Quay to Central station line was an important part of the Sydney tram network. It was an extremely busy service for passengers transferring from suburban trains, particularly prior to the opening of the City Circle underground railway line in 1926. Trams operated in a loop from Central station, running north along Pitt Street to Circular Quay returning south via Castlereagh Street. These tracks were also used by some eastern and south-western routes during busy periods. The line closed on 27 September 1957 with four tram services replaced with buses and three others diverted to operate via Elizabeth Street.<ref>New Details of Sunday's CHange-over to Buses in Sydney Sydney Morning Herald 27 September 1957 page 4</ref><ref>Buses Replace Trams in Two Sydney Streets Truck & Bus Transportation November 1957 page 46</ref> The line made use of the sandstone viaduct onto the colonnade above Eddy Avenue at Central station, which since 1997 has formed part of the Inner West Light Rail.

Heritage-listed properties

The following properties, located on or adjacent to Pitt Street, are listed on various national, state, and/or local government heritage registers:

• Bulletin Place warehouses, on Bulletin Place, between Pitt Street and Macquarie Place<ref name=nswshr-651>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref><ref name=nswshr-652>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref><ref name=nswshr-653>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
• Commonwealth Trading Bank Building<ref name=AHD>Template:Cite AHD</ref><ref>Template:Cite NSW HD</ref>
• Kings Hotel<ref name=nswshr-417>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
• Pitt Street Uniting Church<ref name=nswshr-22>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
• Soul Pattinson Building<ref>Template:Cite NSW HD</ref>
• The Strand Arcade<ref name=nswshr-1864>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
• Sydney School of Arts building<ref name=nswshr-366>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
• Former Sydney Water Head Office<ref name=nswshr-1645>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
• The Sydney Club<ref name=nswshr-583>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref>
• Wales House,<ref name=nswshr-586>Template:Cite NSW SHR</ref> now part of the Radisson Blu hotel chain<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Pitt Street Cycleway

During the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 the City of Sydney installed a "pop up" (or temporary) cycleway on Pitt Street. This cycleway was the busiest of all the pop up cycleways installed, with an average of 4430 weekly trips.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In March 2021 the city announced the cycleway would become permanent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It now connects to the King Street cycleway at the south end.

Gallery

• The first Tramways Dated c. 10 1 1880 Depot at Pitt Street.jpg

  CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Circa.

• (1) City Tattersals Club.JPG

  City Tattersalls Club

• The Sydney Club, 122 Pitt Street.jpg

  The Sydney Club

• (1) Pitt Street (a).JPG

  Building in Italianate style

• (1) Pitt Street (d).JPG

  Restored 1903 building

• Pitt Street Mall, 2014.jpg

  Pitt Street Mall from King Street looking south

• Pitt Street, Sydney, looking south from The Powerhouse Museum Collection.jpg

  Looking south c. 1900

• 1 Pitt and Hunter002.jpg

  Archival image of Pitt and Hunter Streets, showing Wales House

• (1)Pitt St Uniting Church-5.jpg

  Pitt Street Uniting Church interior

• Building labourer on a stone being hoisted up to building, Pitt St, Sydney, c. 1930s, by Sam Hood (4441498235).jpg

  Building labourer on a stone being hoisted up to building, Pitt St, Sydney, c. 1930s. Photo by Sam Hood.

• (1)Pitt St Uniting Church-4.jpg

  Pitt Street Uniting Church

External links

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