The
Melbourne General Post Office (also known as
Melbourne's GPO or simply
GPO), is a former
post office in
Melbourne,
Victoria,
Australia. Located on the corner of
Elizabeth Street and
Bourke Street in the heart of the
Melbourne CBD it is a landmark of the city and is listed on the
Victorian Heritage Register.
The former purpose built
post office building currently functions as a
shopping mall, having been redeveloped for
adaptive reuse in 2004.
The location of it remains important as it is still officially used as a measure of distances from the centre of Melbourne.
History
The first General Post Office was declared in 13 April 1837, shortly after the naming of Melbourne.
The foundation stone was laid on its present site in 1859 and built to the design of A.E.Johnson in the Renaissance Revival style. The building was later extended in 1887 with a larger clock tower, extra storeys and applied with a
Second Empire styled
mansard roofline. Plans for the building were never completed.
The interior sorting hall was redesigned between 1907 and 1919.
In 2001, the GPO ceased to function as an office of
Australia Post. A planning application for an upmarket
shopping mall was approved.
A hotel development with thirteen-storey hotel was proposed, but never eventuated.
The hall was gutted by fire in 2001. The building was restored as a retail centre...
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