General Post Office, a colonial-era building situated on 141 King William Street on the north-west corner of King William Street and Victoria Square, is the former General Post Office for South Australia, Australia, Postal services operated from the building between 6 May 1872 and 11 October 2019.

Construction

The original building was constructed in the period 1867–1872, and was the most expensive building constructed to that time by the colonial government in South Australia. Prince Alfred, The Duke of Edinburgh, was involved in laying the foundation stone. It is associated with several architects of note, including Edmund Wright,

Edward John Woods Edward John Woods F.R.I.B.A. (1839 – 5 January 1916) was a prominent architect in the early days of South Australia. History Woods was born in London and educated at several private schools, then, deciding to become an architect, served ...

Edward Angus Hamilton Edward Angus Hamilton (born 27 February 1831) was an architect and politician in colonial South Australia. Hamilton was the son of George Ernest Hamilton, a civil engineer, and arrived in South Australia on 5 December 1849. In April 1852 he bega ...

and

Robert G. Thomas Robert George Thomas (16 February 1820 – 14 April 1883) was a draftsman and architect in the British colony of South Australia. He copied Surveyor-General Colonel William Light's original plan for the City of Adelaide and was later responsible ...

It was constructed from Glen Osmond and Glen Ewin stone, and ornamented with Bath limestone. The clock tower was officially named Victoria Tower by Prince Alfred on 1 November 1867 when he laid the foundation stone. The capstone was put in place at a ceremony on 25 May 1870. The height of the tower was put at , a little taller than the Albert Tower of the

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

on the other side of King William Street. The original plans had the tower somewhat taller, but R. G. Thomas was obliged to redesign it, as a cost saving measure.

New location

On 14 October 2019, Adelaide's GPO was relocated to the adjacent 'GPO Exchange' tower at 10 Franklin St. The original building is planned to be turned into a retail and dining hub, with a 15-storey, 285-room

Westin Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wester ...

hotel to be built above it.

Gallery

File:Samuel Sweet - King William Street Adelaide, looking north from Victoria Square - Google Art Project.jpg, 1872. Looking north from Victoria Sq File:Adelaide town hall 1950.jpg, 1950. Looking NE from Victoria Sq with the GPO and Treasury buildings in the foreground File:OIC victoria square N from grote.jpg, 2012. Looking north from the centre of Victoria Sq File:Victoria Square Adelaide 408.JPG, 2014. Looking north from Victoria Sq File:Adelaide Post Office architectural detail.jpg, Main entrance detail

References

External links

Buildings and structures in Adelaide Tourist attractions in Adelaide History of Adelaide South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate Neoclassical architecture in Australia

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

Commonwealth Heritage List places in South Australia {{SouthAustralia-struct-stub