The original building on this site dates

back to 1856 when it was home to John

Fairfax & Sons, publishers of Australia’s

oldest surviving newspaper, The Sydney

Morning Herald. The original stone

clad building was designed in Italianate

style by architects Goold & Hillings

and consisted of three storeys and

a basement.

A second building was constructed

on this site between 1922 and 1929.

Architects Manson & Pickering designed

the building in the inter-war renaissance

palazzo style using Bondi sandstone and

Bowral trachyte to clad one of Sydney’s

earliest concrete frame structures.

Erected by Stuart Brothers builders and

standing at nine levels with a basement

the building was restricted to 150 feet

(50 metres) in height by the Height of

Buildings Act which limited the upward

growth of Sydney between 1913 and

1956. The cupola typifies the efforts

of architects to add an illusion of height

to city building during that period.

The new building was developed in

three stages to enable uninterrupted

production of the Fairfax publications.

John Fairfax & Sons

John Fairfax & Sons, Retail Sales "Fairfaxphotos"

1856 – 1955

Fairfax Press shared the upper floors

of the building with commercial

tenancies, many of who remained

after the sale of the building in 1954

to the Bank of New South Wales,

now known as Westpac. The last

edition of the Sydney Morning

Herald was written, sub-edited and

typeset at this site on the 21st

December 1955. The purchase

was completed in September 1956

and a number of modifications were

made over the years including

a new entrance in O’Connell street

and a new entrance on Pitt street

to the basement.

The “Wales House” bank branch

opened in 1958 occupying two

floors at basement and ground level.

The branch consisted of general

banking, a travel department, savings

bank and a safe deposit. A number

of tenancies continued within the

building over the next few decades.

Bank of New South Wales 1956 – 1997

Bank of New Sales Wales "Fairfaxphotos"

The Walter Construction Group

carried out a number of adaptive works

on the building between 1998 and 2000

with the culmination of the intimate

boutique style five-star Radisson Plaza

Hotel Sydney opening in July 2000.

The cupola weighing some 920 tonnes,

was raised 3.9 metres to its current level

to maintain the aesthetic balance of

the building that by now incorporated

three additional levels. Whilst the

interior was completely gutted and

modernized some important

architectural features were retained.

The original offices of Sir Warwick and

Sir James Fairfax on the Mezzanine level

have been restored to beautiful unique

meeting space. The Sir Warwick Fairfax

room is lined with Queensland Maple,

the Sir James Fairfax room retains

Tasmanian Blackwood panelling and

the Business Centre is lined in Silky Oak.

The exclusive split level Radisson

Plaza Club Lounge under the cupola

complements the 362 guestrooms

and suites.

The original lavish public hall at the

Hunter street entry is now home

to Bistro-Fax. In 1928 there was an

outdoor gymnasium on the roof,

The Health Club is now located on the

Mezzanine level. Radisson Plaza Hotel

Sydney is proud to be housed within

a heritage-listed building.

Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney 2000 – Current

Radisson Plaza Hotel Syndey "Fairfaxphotos"