Perpetual Trustee Company Building, Heritage office building in Sydney central business district, Australia.
The Perpetual Trustee Company Building sits at 33-39 Hunter Street and displays Edwardian design with Baroque columns and a mansard roof punctuated by dormer windows. The multi-story structure spans an entire block between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets and was built to house offices for a major financial firm.
The structure was built between 1914 and 1916 by the construction firm Walter Gawne and Sons as a major new development on Hunter Street. It represented one of the earliest large-scale office buildings constructed in that part of the city.
The building reflects the architectural preferences of early Australian financial firms and shows how businesses operated and presented themselves in early 1900s Sydney. Its ornate facade with columns and decorative details was meant to project stability and trustworthiness to clients.
The building remains visible from the street and can be viewed from the sidewalk today, though it remains private property. Daytime visits offer the best opportunity to see the architectural details clearly in good light.
The building underwent major renovations in 1959 that updated its systems while keeping its historic exterior mostly intact. This blend of historic style and modern interior improvements showed how older structures could adapt to new business needs over time.
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