Balmain, bank

This historic bank building is located on Darling Street in the inner west suburb of Balmain. Built in 1903 for the Bank of New South Wales, it was designed by architects John Sulman and Joseph Power. This Victorian architectural design features a triangular pediment with a coat-of-arms, supported by corinthian columns. The design features symbols found in the official coat-of-arms granted to the state of New South Wales in 1906 such as the wheat sheaf, golden fleece, rising sun and southern cross.

Laiki Bank House, Castlereagh Street, night

 

Laiki Bank House in Castlereagh Street is enhanced by coloured lights reflected off the facade at night. This is a heritage listed building which was once housed the City South Telephone Exchange, built in 1922 and designed by commonwealth architect John Smith Murdoch, in the Commercial Palazzo style. It now houses the Consulate of Greece, as well as a bank branch and the Australian headquarters of Laiki Bank (Popular Bank of Greece).  A daytime view of this building can be seen here.

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North Strathfield, bank

This bank is located on Concord Road, in the inner west suburb of North Strathfield. It is an excellent example of suburban branches built by the Commonwealth bank in the art deco architectural style.

Ultimo, Embassy Conference Centre

The Embassy Conference Centre is a historic building on George Street, in the inner city suburb of Ultimo. Designed by Varney Parkes, the son of Sir Henry Parkes, it was originally built as a branch of the Bank of New South Wales in 1894. The Federation Romanesque design of the facade reflects the boom period of the late 1800s. A gold smelting and assaying department, established at this Railway Square branch in 1915, provided the best facilities for the treatment of gold coming from mines in Australia and New Guinea. It is now a venue for hire for meetings, seminars and conferences.

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Haberfield, bank

This former bank building on the corner of Dalhousie Street and Ramsay Street in the inner city suburb of Haberfield is now a pasticceria, an Italian pastry shop. Pasticceria Papa produces cakes, pastries, breads and pizzas. Many of the old banks and post offices in the suburbs have new uses these days. This building doubles as a cafe with seating inside and the courtyard behind the shop.

The 3 Wise Monkeys Pub, George Street

The 3 Wise Monkeys Pub (right) is located in on the corner of George Street and Liverpool Street in a heritage listed, former bank building. The three wise monkey statues (left) above the entrance have been dressed in supporters colours for the Soccer 2010 FIFA World Cup which starts tomorrow in South Africa. From left to right, Speak No Evil barracks for South Korea, See No Evil barracks for Australia and Hear No Evil barracks for England. The building was designed for a bank by Wardell and Vernon Architects in the Victorian Italianate style and built in 1886. It was originally the 'Southern Branch' of The Bank of Australia which then became The Bank of Australasia from 1879, the ANZ bank from 1970 to 1998 and was finally turned into a pub in 2000.

Chippendale pubs

The Lansdowne Hotel (top) in the inner city suburb of Chippendale is located on City Road close to the Broadway corner, opposite Victoria Park. Right next to it, on Broadway, this sandstone building (bottom) which was originally The English, Scottish and Australasian Bank built in 1930 is now a bar, bistro and nightclub known as 202 Broadway.

Laiki Bank House, Castlereagh Street

This heritage listed building in Castlereagh Street was once the City South Telephone Exchange, built in 1922 and designed by commonwealth architect John Smith Murdoch, in the commercial palazzo style. To deal with the expanding city, a new telephone exchange was built next door many years later, with a less attractive facade. When advances in technology meant that telephone exchange equipment could be contained in a much smaller site, so the older building was vacated and sold by Telstra, the telecommunications company. The building was restored and now houses the Consulate of Greece, as well as a bank branch and headquarters of Laiki Bank (Popular Bank of Greece).

Martin Place, Seven Network

The Colonial Centre is a more contemporary building on Martin Place that now houses the television news studios of the Seven Network. This glass and marble commercial building opened in the 1980s as the corporate headquarters of the State Bank of NSW, in the heart of Sydney's financial district. It featured office space, a bank branch on street level and a small shopping centre underground, linked to Martin Place railway station. It became the Colonial Bank in 1996 and then was taken over by the Commonwealth Bank in 2000, which aleady had other branches in Martin Place. The Seven Network moved its studios into the space occupied by the bank branch in 2004. I chose to run this photo today because it also happens to be the first day of the official television ratings season in Australia, when all the top television shows return to our screens. The Seven Network has been the top television network in terms of audience for the past two years. News and current affair programs are broadcast from these studios, including 'Sunrise', the breakfast program that often ventures into Martin Place outside.