Law Courts Building, Sydney

Courts in Sydney, Australia

Law Courts Building, Sydney

View of the Law Courts from Queens Square

General information
Type| Courts
Architectural style| Brutalist
Address| Queens Square, 184 Phillip Street
Town or city| Sydney
Country| Australia
Current tenants| High Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia, Supreme Court of NSW, Commonwealth Attorney General and Solicitor General of Australia
Construction started| 1976
Completed| 1977
Opened| 1 February 1977
Renovated| 2007—2012
Client| Department of Attorney, Commonwealth of Australia & NSW Attorney–General
Technical details
Floor count| 27
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Geoffrey Atherden AM
Architecture firm| McConnel Smith and Johnson
Renovating team
Architect(s)| GroupGSA & Hassell
Structural engineer| Taylor Thomson Whitting
Quantity surveyor| Currie+Brown
Website
https://supremecourt.nsw.gov.au/

The Law Courts Building is a building on Queens Square in Sydney, Australia, completed in 1977 in Twentieth Century Brutalist style. It is the seat of the Supreme Court of New South Wales,[1] as well as parts of the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia.[2]

## Building

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The building is 114 metres tall, with 27 floors housing 34 state and 27 federal courtrooms, built in 1976 with the NSW Government and Commonwealth Government sharing the construction cost.[3] It was designed by Geoffrey Atherden of the prominent architectural firm, McConnel Smith and Johnson, with an emphasis on making courts more humane and accessible in their design.[4]

### Coats of arms

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The Royal coat of arms (1975) in the lobby by Mike Kitching.

The Royal and Commonwealth coats of arms present in the lobby were designed in 1971–1975 by sculptor Michael Kitching, who also designed 64 smaller arms throughout the Judges Chambers and courtrooms in the building.[5] Kitching's designs of the arms were noted for their singular artistic interpretation, including showing the lion and unicorn of the Royal Arms in guardant pose, and more natural poses for the kangaroo and emu in the Commonwealth Coat of Arms ("Traditionally in the Australian Arms the kangaroo sits bolt upright like a dog begging and not like any 'roo I've ever seen. And the emu has had its neck and legs stretched more like an ostrich. I've done them as they really appear. It's officially wrong, but it makes a lot more sense.").[6]

On his works, Kitching noted: "We made simple modifications so that the work would complement a modern building without any lessening of tradition."[7] To complete his commission, Kitching employed 15 students from the UNSW College of Fine Arts working to produce all the artworks in the studio of painter John Firth-Smith in North Sydney.[8]

## History

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A memorial plaque to the proposed 1938 Law Courts building by Peddle Thorp and Walker, in front of Parliament House.

The first proposal for a purpose-built Law Courts Building, that would house the majority of courts, in Sydney was made in the late 1930s by the United Australia Party government of Bertram Stevens, which commenced early planning for a new Government precinct along Macquarie Street to Queen's Square, that would include a Large Law Courts building.[9] In June 1935, the government established the "Macquarie Street Replanning Committee" with its role being to "to advise the Government upon the re-planning and possible reconstruction, of certain portions of Macquarie-street and other areas in the vicinity affected by recent changes in the city; to prepare a scheme for consideration of the Government in relation to such questions as the disposal of the Mint site, the best location of the proposed new Law Courts, and the utilisation of the site upon which the present Supreme Court stands".[10] A nine-member expert committee was appointed, including the prominent engineer and planner, Sir John Butters, as chairman.[11][12][13] The committee's recommendations, including for a new law courts building on the site of the Parliament House, the Sydney Hospital, as well as the Sydney Mint, were accepted by the government in early 1937, and the Stevens Government requested that the committee then commence a design competition for this new structure.[14][15] In August 1938, the winning design was announced by the government, being the design created by architects Samuel George Thorp, F. H. E. Walker, and Frank Thorp, of the firm Peddle Thorp and Walker.[16][17] Estimated at a cost of £1,500,000, the designs were a highly ambitious scheme, with a large edifice in the Inter-war Art Deco style that was 900 feet (270 m) long, 170 feet (52 m) wide, and with three towers, the tallest being the central tower at 220 feet (67 m) crowning the top of Martin Place.[18][19][20]

Faced with significant planning and cost hurdles including the need for government legislation, the scheme was delayed by the government and then was eclipsed by the outbreak of war in September 1939. In July 1939, the committee chairman, Sir John Butters, had expressed his frustration with the delays in planning the scheme: "the longer the commencement of improvements is delayed the greater are the prospects that the scheme for making them will be abandoned altogether".[21] A year later in 1940, it was reported that the government was considering alterations to the Macquarie Street scheme, and by 1945, the succeeding Labor Government of William McKell, was considering a new scheme centred on Circular Quay.[22][23] In June 1946, a new Macquarie Street plan was unveiled by McKell's government, with new draft designs that included a public square at the top of Martin Place, a law courts building, and a theatre/opera house complex.[24]

The courts commenced operation from 17 January 1977 and the Law Courts Building was officially opened by the Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, on 1 February 1977.[4][25]

## Refurbishment 2007—2012

[edit]

Between 2007 and 2012 the Law Courts underwent a major refurbishment of interiors, services and technology by The Reed Group. Architects Group GSA and Hassell and engineers Taylor Thomson Whitting undertook the redesign with minimal changes to the external form of the building.[26] The works included: upgrading of the base building to modern standards, removal of asbestos from structural steel, upgrading of fire compliance to current BCA standards, upgrading of energy and water reticulation and refurbishment of interiors, fittings and finishes.[27]

## References

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1. ^ "Law Courts building". www.supremecourt.justice.nsw.gov.au. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
2. ^ "Home". Lawcourts. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
3. ^ "Law Courts Building, Sydney | 108087 | EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. ^ a b "'Humane' Courtrooms Opened by Premier". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 February 1977. p. 2.
5. ^ Mellor, Bill (25 May 1986). "Sculptor's dream rings true as the nation comes of age". The Sun-Herald. p. 20.
6. ^ "Column 8". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 October 1981. p. 1.
7. ^ "Column 8". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 October 1981. p. 1\. "Entering the Supreme Court, Mr Melford Dore, a solicitor of Seven Hills, tired of his face-to-face confrontations with the unicorn on the Royal Coat of Arms. So he challenged the beast. And Sir Anthony Wagner, the Clarenceux King of Arms of the College of Arms, London, agreed. The unicorn, Sir Anthony ruled, should be in profile and not "guardant" or full face as depicted on the court's coat of arms (seen in part below). Even worse, the King of Arms added in the curious language of heraldry, "the Scottish quarter of the arms is incorrect, showing a single treasure fleur de lys pointing one way only instead of a double tressure flory counter flory." What could be done? Mr Dore wrote to the Governor, who passed the letter to the Chief Justice, Sir Laurence Street. Sir Laurence now cheerfully admits the errors, but adds: "We can take comfort in the fact that it is a fine work of art." The supervising sculptor, Mr Michael Kitching, explained yesterday: "We made simple modifications so that the work would complement a modern building without any lessening of tradition.""
8. ^ "Michael Digby Kitching". Pittwater Online News. 12–18 May 2019.
9. ^ "MACQUARIE STREET REPLANNING". Construction and Real Estate Journal. New South Wales, Australia. 5 August 1936. p. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
10. ^ "DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 122\. New South Wales, Australia. 28 June 1935. p. 2633. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
11. ^ The committee comprised: Sir John Butters (Chairman); B. J. Waterhouse FRIBA; Leith Cecil McCredie FRAIA; Arnold Hugh Garnsey; Charles Baptist Byrne FREI; Arthur William Anderson FRIBA; Clarence Radford Chapman (Under-secretary of The Treasury); Edwin Evan Smith FRIBA; and Roy Hendy (Town Clerk of the City of Sydney).
12. ^ "DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT". Government Gazette Of The State Of New South Wales. No. 128\. New South Wales, Australia. 12 July 1935. p. 2801. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
13. ^ "DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT". Government Gazette Of The State Of New South Wales. No. 136\. New South Wales, Australia. 26 July 1935. p. 3094. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
14. ^ "LAW COURTS". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 28 January 1937. p. 11. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
15. ^ "SUGGESTED REPLANNING OF MACQUARIE-STREET". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 17 September 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
16. ^ "WINNING DESIGNS FOR LAW COURTS". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 30 August 1938. p. 10. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
17. ^ "NEW LAW COURTS". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 31 August 1938. p. 18. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
18. ^ "NEW LAW COURTS". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 31 August 1938. p. 18. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
19. ^ "MACQUARIE STREET PLANNING". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 31 August 1938. p. 12. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
20. ^ "The Law Courts Competition". Construction. New South Wales, Australia. 7 September 1938. p. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
21. ^ "MASQUERADE". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 23 July 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
22. ^ "MACQUARIE STREET PLAN". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 26 January 1940. p. 10. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
23. ^ "Govt. Centre planned for Circular Quay area". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 8 July 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
24. ^ "Law courts and theatre in Macquarie-st. plans". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 23 June 1946. p. 7. Retrieved 16 September 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
25. ^ "Supreme Court of New South Wales - Change of Address". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 1977. p. 21.
26. ^ "Queens Square Law Courts" (PDF). Australian National Construction Review: 140–141. 2012.
27. ^ Swann, Graham (2012). "The Law Courts: A very Sydney story". Twentieth.org.au. Retrieved 5 April 2024.

## External links

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* Media related to Law Courts Building, Sydney at Wikimedia Commons

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33°52′08″S 151°12′41″E﻿ / ﻿33.8690°S 151.2115°E﻿ / -33.8690; 151.2115
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