My final #SydneyOpen stop for 2015 was the Reserve Bank of Australia. Designed by the Commonwealth Department of Works, it opened in 1964. The 20-storey building includes a double-height grand lobby with granite-faced columns and a futuristic ceiling of gold-anodised aluminium. The first governor of the bank, Dr HC 'Nugget' Coombs, loved the arts and helped build much of the bank's art collection. This includes the internal wall art by sculptor Bim Hilder and the abstract modernist sculpture in the Martin Place forecourt by Australian-American artist Margel Hinder. The building was constructed in an International-style of architecture using many naturally sourced Australian materials including timber and stone. The bank's boardroom desk is so large it had to be lifted into the tower using a crane towards the completion of the external shell. Sadly, the building's construction meant many original terraces on the corner of Martin Place and Macquarie Street had to be demolished to make way for the new development. See more at fb.com - hiddensydney #hiddensydney #SydneyIsOpen #city #cbd #ReserveBankOfAustralia #MaritnPlace #bank #architecture #lobby #granite #art #sculpture#skyscraper #skyline #tower #highrise #building (at Reserve Bank of Australia)










