Former General Post Office, Adelaide

Adelaide's former General Post Office is a colonial-era building at 141 King William Street on the north-west corner of King William Street and Victoria Square. Postal services operated from the building between 6 May 1872 and 11 October 2019.

Former General Post Office, Adelaide
View from Victoria Square, c. 1872
General information
LocationAdelaide, Australia
Coordinates34°55′33.96″S 138°36′0.66″E
Construction started1867
Completed1872
Design and construction
ArchitectEdmund Wright and Edward Woods

Construction

The original building was constructed in the period 1867–1872, and was the most expensive building constructed to that time by the colonial government in South Australia. Prince Alfred, The Duke of Edinburgh, was involved in laying the foundation stone. It is associated with several architects of note, including Edmund Wright, Edward John Woods, Edward Angus Hamilton and Robert G. Thomas[1] It was constructed from Glen Osmond and Glen Ewin stone, and ornamented with Bath limestone.[1]

The clock tower was officially named Victoria Tower by Prince Alfred on 1 November 1867 when he laid the foundation stone.[2] The capstone was put in place at a ceremony on 25 May 1870. The height of the tower was put at 154 feet (46.9 m), a little taller than the Albert Tower of the Town Hall on the other side of King William Street.[3] The original plans had the tower somewhat taller, but R. G. Thomas was obliged to redesign it, as a cost saving measure.[4]

New location

On 14 October 2019, Adelaide's GPO was relocated to the adjacent 'GPO Exchange' tower at 10 Franklin St. The original building is planned to be turned into a retail and dining hub, with a 15-storey, 285-room Westin hotel to be built above it.[5]

  • 1872. Looking north from Victoria Sq
  • 1950. Looking NE from Victoria Sq with the GPO and Treasury buildings in the foreground
  • 2012. Looking north from the centre of Victoria Sq
  • 2014. Looking north from Victoria Sq
  • Main entrance detail

References
  1. "Place Details: Adelaide General Post Office, 141 King William St, Adelaide, SA, Australia". Australian Heritage Database. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  2. "The Victoria Tower". Adelaide Observer. XXV (1361). South Australia. 2 November 1867. p. 4 (Supplement to the Adelaide Observer.). Retrieved 27 December 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "The New Post-Office Tower". Evening Journal (Adelaide). II (423). South Australia. 26 May 1870. p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "The Late Mr. R. G. Thomas". Adelaide Observer. XL (2168). South Australia. 21 April 1883. p. 34. Retrieved 4 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Villani, Celeste (10 October 2019). "147 years of history farewelled as CBD GPO moves out of King William St home and into neighbouring tower". Messenger Newspapers. Retrieved 21 October 2019.

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