Demolished Sydney
Curated by Dr Nicola Teffer, the exhibition examines the histories of 13 sites and asks, what are the forces that have shaped our changing city and how do we value and preserve the heritage of the city we inherit?
Like its counterparts across the world, Sydney has been in a constant state of building, unbuilding and rebuilding as it has grown into the metropolis of today. The mix of Georgian, Victorian, Art Deco and modernist buildings that have formed the character of Sydney also tell the story of its changing fortunes, attitudes and needs. Demolished Sydney reveals this process of urban evolution through key buildings that have been demolished and replaced. Through fragments salvaged from theatres, hotels and office blocks, alongside stunning photography, artworks and film, Demolished Sydney brings back to life the heritage of a Sydney that is gone but not forgotten.














Fort Macquarie tram depot
Photographer unknown, 1955

West side of Circular Quay, looking south
E G Shaw, 1923–24

The Garden Palace
Charles Potter (publisher), from "Album of views of New South Wales", 1889

The Head office of the Rural Bank of NSW
Photographer unknown, c1950s

Aerial view of the State Office Block
Photographer unknown, c1960

St Stephen's Church, Phillip Street
Photographer unknown, c1920s

Hotel Australia
Kerry & Co, c1903, from Illuminated address presented to George Judah Cohen Esq on the occasion of his departure from Sydney on a visit to Europe

Exterior view of Pyrmont incinerator from south-west
Walter Burley Griffin, 1935

Char Towers
Mark Johnson, 1978