Transport House (under consideration to amend a listing)

Item details


Name of item:	Transport House (under consideration to amend a listing)
Other name/s:	Railway House; Wynyard Green; Greenhouse; Wynyard SRA Offices, Wynyard Walk; Department of Railways Offices
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Government and Administration
Category:	Office building
Location:	Lat: -33.8656288404 Long: 151.2054892150
Primary address:	17-31 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Parish:	St Philip
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Sydney
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	1		DP	1003146
PART LOT	100		DP	1015076

Boundary:

Transport House is located at 17-31 York Street, Sydney in Lot 1 DP 1003146 and Part Lot 100 DP 1015076. It is bounded by York Street to the east, York Lane to the west and two adjacent buildings to the north and south. The State Heritage Register curtilage/boundary follows the footprint of the 1935 building. It bisects the lift lobbies on Levels 1-12 and includes only a limited area of the unpaid concourse and Wynyard Walk at Basement Level 3. The paid concourse, retail areas, back-of-house areas, rail tunnels and platforms on Basement Level 3 fall outside the curtilage/boundary. A stratum subdivision divides the curtilage/boundary into two lots under separate ownership. Lot 1 DP 1003146 comprises sections of the Ground Floor and the southern sections of Basement Levels 1 to 3. Part Lot 100 DP 1015076 comprises sections of the Ground Floor, the whole of Levels 2 to 12 and the northern sections of Basement Levels 1 to 3.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
17-31 York Street	Sydney	Sydney	St Philip	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Memo Corporation Australia Pty Ltd	Private
Transport Asset Managers TAM	State Government

Statement of significance:


	Transport House is of State significance for its historical, associative and aesthetic values. Transport House demonstrates State historic significance for its connection with the modernisation of railway infrastructure and government administration in NSW during the interwar period. Its construction centralised railway administration and symbolised the importance of rail transport to the State’s economic and social development as it emerged from the Great Depression. The building served as a flagship of the electrified inner-city underground network, with its completion in 1935 marking a milestone in rail infrastructure and Sydney’s urban plan. Its physical integration with Wynyard Station has ensured continuity of its original purpose and offers insights into the evolution of the railway system through the 20th and 21st centuries. Transport House derives State significance from its strong association with individuals and organisations involved in its conception and design, namely engineer John J.C. Bradfield, consulting architects H.E. Budden & Mackey and Wunderlich Limited. Transport House is of State-level aesthetic significance as a leading example of Art Deco architecture applied to a large-scale public building. It combines key characteristics of the style with a cutting-edge asymmetrical composition. Fine geometric ornamentation in the use of coloured glazed terracotta facing (or faience) on the York Street façade demonstrates exceptional artistic and technical achievement, recognised with multiple architectural awards.
	Date significance updated: 20 Jul 26
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	H.E. Budden & Mackey; NSW Department of Railways
Construction years:	1934-1935
Physical description:	Transport House is a 12-storey steel-framed office building designed in the Interwar Art Deco style and integrated with Wynyard Station at its three basement levels. It is bounded by York Street to the east, York Lane to the west. It abuts the building at 33 York Street to the south and adjoins a 1973 building, also known as 'Transport House', to the north. The building faces Wynyard Park opposite. The building’s form is asymmetrical, comprised of a tower to the north and a long southern wing. The tower features strong vertical piers terminating in fins at the rooftop. The southern wing is characterised by a horizontal fenestration pattern in contrast with the tower. Green-glazed terracotta tiles (or faience) adorn the whole York Street façade, with the exception of a polished Bowral trachyte course at ground floor (Building 1936; Allman Johnston Associates 1999). The faience is highly detailed on the tower, featuring overlapping elements and parallel line motifs and terminating in ornamental geometries at the parapet. Windows and trim are set in dark bronze. At the base of the tower is a monumental entrance, at 17 York Street, set in bronze and framed in Bowral trachyte. A second entrance, the main York Street entrance to Wynyard Station, is framed by a deep awning lined with geometrically patterned pressed-metal mouldings and accordion-style metalwork gates recessed into stone columns (Van Daele & Lumby 1997; Building 1936). A third entrance, to retail space at the left of the Wynyard Station entrance has been introduced by cutting the stone course at the base of the façade and adding sliding doors. On the York Lane façade, faience only features at the very top of the vertical elements and at the parapet. The York Lane façade is otherwise rendered and painted green to match the York Street façade. Decorative cement moulding adorns its entrance, featuring fluted pilasters and panels. The rooftop features faience along the full length of the parapet, which terminates in complex geometries at the top of the tower. Decorative rainwater heads are present on the southern side of the tower and parapet exterior. Street access to the building’s Ground Floor Level is via one of three entrances on York Street and a fourth entrance on York Lane. The entrance marked “17 York Street” provides access to the heavily modified northeastern corner: including a small space with street frontage currently displaying interpretative elements, and a lift lobby bisected by the SHR curtilage/boundary where the 1935 building’s northern wall stood before its removal in 1973. The Service NSW entrance provides access to the southern portion of the ground floor, also heavily modified but retaining structural ceiling beams, cornice mouldings and window frames and mullions on the York Street wall. The entrances marked “Wynyard Station” on York Street and York Lane provide access to the Wynyard Station lobby. Despite heavy modification, the Wynyard Station lobby retains original structural ceiling beams and moulding on columns and cornices. A corridor in the southwestern corner features original green wall tiling and patterned terrazzo flooring in white with black borders and inlaid brass strips. A bank of four escalators spans from the lobby to Basement Level 3 (or Concourse Level). The original timber-cleated escalators were replaced with a new timber-cleated model in the 1950s and these were again replaced in 2017 with metal models. Staircases on either side of the bank of escalators retain original timber banisters and wrought-iron balustrades (similar to banisters and balustrades in Wynyard Station and outside the SHR curtilage/boundary). Also present on these same stairs are sections of the original blue-and-cream tiling, which distinguished Wynyard from other stations on subterranean network. Levels 1 to 11 function as office and educational spaces for commercial tenancies and have been heavily modified. Their layout is arranged around a lift lobby at the centre-north and a central hallway that provides access to office spaces along the York Street and York Lane walls and southern boundary. The original lift lobby section was first altered in 1973. The partitioning of the office spaces has been subsequently modified. Timber or timber-and-glass doors and associated metal fixtures have been conserved in varying degrees. Ornamental metal window grilles are present, as are window frames and ventilation grilles. Stairwells also feature original wall tiles, timber banisters and wrought-iron balustrades in geometric compositions. Office spaces retain little more than the original structural ceiling beams and columns and occasional Art Deco plaster mouldings are in ceilings, cornices and capitals. Some timber floorboards have been preserved in situ or replaced to match the original, while other sections of floor are covered with non-significant carpet or other floor finishes. Original timber floors may be extant under later floor coverings. The central hallways of Levels 2 to 11, however, have been retained. Here, wall tiles are present, the colour scheme ranging from yellow ochre through off-white and mauve to green according to the level and Art Deco plaster mouldings are in ceilings, cornices and capitals. Original patterned terrazzo flooring in white with black borders and with inlaid brass strips is present. The original flat rooftop (Level 12), enclosed in 1973, houses large plant and services. This modification has altered the roofline when viewed from elevated positions. The basement levels are distributed between operational spaces and amenities for the above-ground commercial tenancies in the northern sections and operational and public spaces for Wynyard Station in the southern sections. The lift column continues through these levels at the centre-north. The bank of escalators in the centre-south portion descends from Wynyard Station’s ground-floor lobby to Basement Level 3, traversing Basement Levels 1 and 2. Basement Level 1 is dominated by the escalator motor room and other operational spaces associated with Wynyard Station. Original escalator footings and paint scheme have been retained in the operational motor room on Basement Level 1. Elements associated with the earlier escalators are preserved in an ad hoc museum space in the former motor room on Basement Level 1. The museum entrance is flanked to the left by a heavy metal sliding door with a pulley and counterweight. Inside a small section of original wall paint has been conserved, the lower part in teal, upper in light blue and divided by a maroon stripe. The escalator well occupies a sizeable portion of Basement Level 2, the majority of which is also serves as operational spaces for Wynyard Station. Basement Level 3 functions largely as a public thoroughfare for rail commuters, providing access to the pedestrian subway known as Wynyard Walk, which begins in the northeast portion, and access to the sections of Wynyard Station’s concourse that lie outside the State Heritage Register curtilage/boundary: the paid concourse to the southeast and the retail spaces and thoroughfare to the east. Much of the original fabric was modified in the 2014–17 Wynyard Station upgrade, most notably at the entrance of Wynyard Walk, a subterranean pedestrian thoroughfare at the northwestern end. The contemporary artwork “Interloop”, suspended from the ceiling near the base of the escalators, incorporates remnants of earlier timber-tread escalators. Timber or timber-and-glass doors and associated metal fixtures have been conserved in varying degrees through the operational spaces at the basement levels. Hand-painted lettering has been retained on doors though is present on walls in very few areas. Original cream tiles, cement moulding and terrazzo floors are in present in bathrooms to varying degrees. Note: The rail tunnels and platforms at Basement Levels 1 to 3 fall outside the State Heritage Register curtilage/boundary. Only a limited area of the unpaid concourse and Wynyard Walk at Basement Level 3 lie inside State Heritage Register curtilage/boundary. The paid concourse, retail areas, back-of-house areas, rail tunnels and platforms fall outside.
	Date condition updated:20 Nov 25
Modifications and dates:	1927 - excavation for Wynyard Station commenced (S170). 1932 - Wynyard Station completed (S170). 1934 - construction of Transport House (“Railway House”) commenced (S170). 1936 – Transport House (“Railway House”) completed (S170). c. 1950s - fourth escalator added to bank of escalators; original three escalators replaced (S170). 1973 – construction of new Transport House (11–15 York Street) abutting and integrated with the 1935 building; extensive modification to 1935 building: Demolition of elements of the northern facade: Removal of vertical design elements in relief form, windows and decorative top of lift tower details (Allman Johnston Associates 1999; Nimbus Architecture and Heritage 2019). Alterations to eastern facade: Removal of the original entranceway at 17 York Street (original entrance way was located directly under a first-floor indentation of the facade, which was highlighted by the two-storey ornate detailing of the vertical elements in glazed terracotta and bronze); alterations to original ground floor lobby and lifts; intrusion of new fire stairs and exit point in northeast corner of 1935 office space (Nimbus Architecture and Heritage 2019). Alterations to roof level: Removal of part of original plant room, fire stair and lift motor room; addition of unsympathetic larger plant room to enclose equipment (Nimbus Architecture and Heritage 2019). Alterations to lift lobby: reconfigured and integrated with adjoining lift lobby, lift shaft and fire stair services (Nimbus Architecture and Heritage 2019). Alterations to Level 2: Entire removal of central corridor; removal of original northern wall and lift lobby; addition of 1973 lift lobbies; installation of elevated false floor and suspended ceiling for creation of main administration computer room and support facilities over entire floor plan, except in area of fire stairs and toilets; intrusion of ramp walkway to access elevated floor (Nimbus Architecture and Heritage 2019). Alterations to Levels 2-11: addition of internal fire doors to the central corridor. Alterations to rooftop (Level 12): Major addition of large plant and services room on original flat roof (Nimbus Architecture and Heritage 2019). 1977 - new pedestrian access to concourse introduced (S170). c. 1970s/1980s - upgrade of Wynyard Station; cream-and-blue tiles removed from all areas except two fire escape stairways connecting main concourse with York Street foyer. 1980s - demolition of original first floor men’s toilets at time of conversion of large plant room to service computer room; addition of internal air-conditioning plant rooms and equipment, elevated flooring, access ramp, suspended ceiling and office partition walls; removal of original 1935 office layouts. 1980-90 - removal of original ground floor railway offices and storerooms along the western side, including alteration and construction for a coffee lounge adjoining the public area and lift lobby (Allman Johnston Associates 1999). 1988 - new pedestrian access to concourse introduced (S170). 1994 - new pedestrian access to concourse introduced (S170). 2000 - general building upgrade to Levels 1-11 by Kann Finch Architects, including ground floor lobby refurbishment, lift upgrade, base building works (Levels 1-11), suspended ceiling system (Level 1), perimeter air-conditioning units, new suspended exposed ducts (Level 11), new carpet (Levels 5-9), compliance works (Nimbus Architecture and Heritage 2019).


Current use:	Commercial tenancies; access to Wynyard Station; operational railway spaces
Former use:	Aboriginal land; George Street Barracks (1792-1848); residential lots; Department of Transport Offices

History

Historical notes:

STATEMENT OF COUNTRY
Transport House is located on the land of the Gadigal of the Eora nation (AIATSIS/Horton 1996). It stands on a ridge, now known as Wynyard Park, between Warrane (Sydney Cove) and Tumbalong (Darling Harbour). The site is known to have been a campsite, with several Aboriginal stone artefacts uncovered in 2014 during excavations for the Wynyard Station upgrade (Irish and Goward 2015). The Gadigal sourced food and fresh water from the several nearby streams and mud flats before these were disturbed by colonisation and the built environment.

A large-scale video work at the start of Wynyard Walk entitled Virtual Warrane @ Wynyard celebrates the deep-seated and ongoing connection of the Gadigal to the Country on which Transport House stands and to the surrounding bodies of water (Transport for NSW 2025). Many places around the harbour remained important hunting, fishing, and camping grounds long after European settlement, and continue to be culturally significant today.

COLONIAL PERIOD
In 1792, convicts finished construction of a military barracks and parade ground that dominated the settlement at Sydney Cove. By the 1830s, the barracks was proving a barrier to town planning and commercial growth in the fledgling city, resulting in it being decommissioned in 1848. Much of the land was sold for residential development, with a section known as Wynyard Square reserved for public amenity. The neighbourhood developed into a thriving retail and financial precinct thanks to its proximity to the General Post Office and Martin Place (Radford 2016).

The site's association with public transport began in the 1880s, with a bus terminus established at Wynyard Square. The possibility of a railway station was raised in 1881 (Whitaker 2008). Up to this point, rail networks were mostly located inland and used for the transportation of agricultural goods. However, the 1890s depression and a decade of severe drought brought hardship to rural communities and prompted a shift in investment. Sydney's suburban railway network expanded dramatically as a result (Sydney Trains n.d.).

CITY RAILWAY NETWORK
City access to rail services improved in 1906 with the completion of Central Station (Liston 2025). However, the location of the terminus at Central Station, at the southern end of the business district and far from the harbour limited the network's utility.

This was to shift in the 1920s, when civil engineer John J.C. Bradfield developed a plan to provide Sydney with an inner-city rail network powered by electricity (Sydney Trains n.d.). Bradfield promoted his vision in press articles and public addresses, arguing that city and suburban electrification would benefit large property owners, new home purchasers and the general public by opening up new land, with quicker transport and cheaper fares (Balinski 2021; Spearritt 2006). Bradfield believed that a well-designed and well-constructed electric railway system would be essential to an expanding modern metropolis like 1920s Sydney (Flyte 2020). Bradfield's plan gave rise to the inner-city underground system, of which Wynyard Station, opened in 1932, was a key element.

WYNYARD STATION
Wynyard Station was built using a cut-and-cover method, whereby much of the bedrock below Wynyard Park was used for the construction of the tunnels, platforms and associated structures. The station could be accessed via a bank of three wooden escalators from York Street. To distinguish Wynyard from other stations on the City line, interior wall tiling featured a decorative blue band of tiles. From its opening, Wynyard was the busiest station on the City Circle line, selling nearly 150 per cent more tickets per year than Town Hall by 1939 (TAM - Sydney Trains n.d.).

TRANSPORT HOUSE ("RAILWAY HOUSE")
Wynyard Station's York Street entrance became the site of a new headquarters for Department of Railways offices previously located at Central Station. Construction of Transport House (originally named "Railway House") was started in 1934 and completed in 1935. It represented a high point for the department, following on from the completion of underground system and of lines over Sydney Harbour Bridge. The socioeconomic climate into which it was born is evident in the furore caused by the use of day labour in the building's construction (Building 1936; Dunn 2008).

The design work was shared between railways staff and consulting architects H.E. Budden & Mackey (Building 1936; Allman Johnston Architects 1999). Henry E. Budden and Nicholas Mackey were leading architects of their time, having won the Sulman Medal in 1933 for their design of the Primary Producers' Bank at 105 Pitt Street (demolished in 1964). Transport House was to show a shift in their practice towards Art Deco aesthetics, which continued in Transport House, Macquarie Street (SHR 02111), built 1938, and the Sydney Water Head Office (former) (1939 building) (SHR 01645), formerly known as the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board building.

The original plans were for a symmetrical building extending along York Street from Margaret to Erskine Street with wings on either side of a central tower, however only the southern wing and tower were constructed. The asymmetrical design, relatively uncommon in Interwar Art Deco style, gave the building a more modern look and enhanced its aesthetic merits (Apperly, Irving and Reynolds 1989; Dunn 2008; Metcalf 1997). The York Street facade featured a fenestration pattern "unique for such a large building in Sydney for its time": a tower with vertical lines that contrast with long horizontal bands of windows over most of the facade (Allman Johnston Associates 1999: 23).

Art Deco buildings were still a relative novelty in Sydney, the first having been constructed in the early 1930s as the Depression ended. Transport House was, along with the BMA Building (SHR 00252) and the Rural Bank Building (now demolished), one of the first office buildings built in the style (Metcalf 1997).

The designers chose a striking green for the facades in reference to the colour scheme of the railway carriages of the time and anticipating the use of green for Sydney's public transport network, buses, ferries and trams (Dunn 2008). Wunderlich Limited, the company behind Sydney's mass adoption of red roof tiles (Deakin University n.d.), supplied custom-designed glazed terracotta tiles (also known as faience) for the facade. Wunderlich had pioneered the manufacture of ceramic facings for city buildings in Australia and began commercial production as early as 1924 (Van Daele & Lumby 1997; Allom Lovell & Associates 2005). Transport House followed on from their success cladding the 1928 Commonwealth Savings Bank (SHR 01427), one of the first clad with Wunderlich ceramics (Wunderlich Limited 1957; Lewis n.d.). The iconic Transport House quickly became a calling card for Wunderlich, photographs of the building gracing the cover of the company's promotional materials as faience turned fashionable in the 1930s (Wunderlich Limited 1938; Allom Lovell & Associates 2005).

The building's aesthetics and design were well received, described as colourful without being vulgar, and modern without being extreme. The design of the large frontage gave "the impression of a train speeding to its destination" with strong horizontal lines (Building 1936: 15). The building won an early Sulman Medal in 1936, Budden and Mackey's second, and the Royal Institute of British Architects Medal the same year.

Transport House was considered one of the most modern buildings in Sydney in aesthetic and technical terms. Its cutting-edge design features included air conditioning throughout, the first government office buildings to do so and one of the first buildings overall in NSW (Van Daele & Lumby 1997; Artefact Heritage 2021; Dunn 2008).

The building was notable for its integration with the power grid and electrified rail network. A "trouble room" on the sixth floor centralised management of the railway's electricity network and had a direct link to White Bay Power Station, while a bank of three timber-cleated escalators efficiently transported large numbers of commuters between the ground floor lobby and the main concourse (Building 1936; Dunn 2008). Although these were neither the first escalators associated with public transport in NSW nor the largest example, they were notable for their integration in a public network combining various modes of transport (Building 1932; Sydney Morning Herald 1937).

LATER PERIOD
In the 1950s, the original escalators were replaced with new timber-cleated models. In 1973, a new building named "Transport House" was erected on the northern side of the 1935 building. The two buildings were linked internally resulting in heavy modification of the earlier building.

Levels 1 to 12 and sections of the Ground Level and Basement Levels were sold to a private owner in 1999.

An upgrade to Wynyard Station commenced in 2014 and resulted in the replacement of the 1950s escalators.

The ongoing use of the building's ground floor and basement levels for railway operations demonstrates continuity of its original purpose and offers insights into the evolution of the railway system through the 20th and 21st centuries.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Building the railway network-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Creating landmark structures and places in urban settings-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Public Transport - suburban railway lines-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - building and administering rail networks-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Transport House is historically significant at a State level for its ability to illustrate the modernisation of railway infrastructure and government administration in NSW. Constructed in 1935 above the newly constructed, electrified underground city rail network, the building’s integration with the underground network, technical specifications and aesthetics made it a landmark of interwar modernity. Transport House was the first government office building to be fully air-conditioned and the first building to be integrated with the transport network via a bank of escalators. The building marked the completion of the first phases of the city underground network and was an essential and integral component of the City and North Shore lines, developments that helped transform Sydney’s urban plan. It is a crowning symbol – along with the Sydney Harbour Bridge (SHR 00781) – of John J.C. Bradfield’s plan for Sydney to accommodate a population of two million. Its entrance lobby, replete with escalators, was built to provide efficient pedestrian access to Wynyard Station, then the busiest station on the inner-city network. Transport House is an important example of the centralisation and rationalisation of State administration. As one of the earliest examples of large-scale administrative concentration of a major government instrumentality, Transport House illustrates the importance of rail in the development of interwar NSW. The relocation of the Department of Railways from its traditional centre at Central Station to Wynyard Station reflected the period’s shifting emphasis from suburban and country trains to the inner-city network and marked a high point in the department’s history. The ongoing use of the building’s ground floor and basement levels for railway operations demonstrates continuity of its original purpose and the evolution of the railway system through the 20th and 21st centuries.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Transport House is of State significance for its associations with the influential organisations and people responsible for its conception and design. The concept of Transport House was envisioned by civil engineer John J.C. Bradfield, known also for his work on Cataract Dam (SHR 01359), Burrinjuck Dam (SHR 00958) and Sydney Harbour Bridge (SHR 00781) and the enduring influence of his vision on Sydney’s urban plan. His futuristic proposals for an electrified underground inner-city rail network are embodied in the building, which is fully integrated with the Bradfield-designed Wynyard Station below it. Consulting architect Nicholas Mackey designed the Art Deco facades and interior styling. His firm, H.E. Budden & Mackey, were behind the most important examples of Interwar Art Deco style applied to large-scale public buildings in NSW in the interwar period, which include Transport House, Macquarie Street (SHR 02111) and the Sydney Water Head Office (former) (1939 building) (SHR 01645). A strong association also exists with Wunderlich Limited. The iconic use of Wunderlich architectural tiles on the York Street facade encapsulates the company’s commercial and aesthetic ambitions. Transport House offers a compelling example of the impact Wunderlich Limited and their designs had on the Australian building industry beyond the ubiquitous red-tiled roofs of suburban Sydney.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Transport House is of State significance as an exemplar of the Art Deco style applied to large-scale public buildings. It represented a major break from the traditional design of public buildings common in Sydney for many decades. The building is significant due to its landmark qualities and cutting-edge composition, characterised by asymmetry and a predominance of horizontal lines, uncommon in a building of its time. It displays several characteristics of Interwar Art Deco style, including emphatic vertical piers, tower and polished stone base. Although heavily modified in parts, the interior retains fine Art Deco style fabric and finishes. Transport House is one of the largest and most prominent examples of the use of coloured glazed terracotta facing (or faience) in NSW, a further characteristic of Interwar Art Deco. The geometric ornamentation in faience on the vertical tower has been described as among the finest Art Deco detailing in Australia. The building’s architectural design was met with critical acclaim, being doubly honoured in 1936 with a Sir John Sulman Medal for a building of outstanding merit erected in NSW in the category of public buildings and a Royal Institute of British Architects Bronze Medal for outstanding architecture.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	Transport House	01271	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register	Wynyard Railway Station		18 Mar 10
Local Environmental Plan	Former Railway House (part of Transport House) inc	I1975	14 Dec 12
National Trust of Australia register		6534	22 Jul 85
Royal Australian Institute of Architects register	Railways House / Transport House (Former)	4700675
Art Deco Society register	Railway House		01 Dec 94
Register of the National Estate	NSW Government Railway Administrative Building	2351	21 Mar 78

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Draft Conservation Plan for Railway and Transport House, 11-31 York Street, Sydney	1999	Job No. 97-339	Allman Johnston Associates	orrn	No
Statement of Heritage Impact:: Transport House and Railway House, 11-31 York Street, Sydney NSW, Alterations and Additions to Levels 4 and 5	2019		Nimbus Architecture and Heritage	orrn	No

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Allom Lovell & Associates	2005	Manchester Unity Building: Conservation Managemet Plan	View detail
Written	Andrew Metcalf	1997	Architecture in Transition: The Sulman Award 1932-1996
Electronic	Anne-Maree Whitaker	2008	Wynyard Park	View detail
Written	Artefact Heritage	2021	Sydney Metro West - Major civil construction work between The Bays and Sydney CBD, Technical Paper 3: Non-Aboriginal Heritage (October)	View detail
Electronic	Australian Dictionary of Biography	2006	Edward Buckley Wynyard (1788-1864)	View detail
Electronic	Brent Balinski	2021	How John Bradfield shaped Sydney - and Australian engineering	View detail
Written	Building	1936	'Railway Building, Wynyard, Sydney', Building: the magazine for the architect, builder, property owner and merchant (12 June)	View detail
Written	Building	1932	'M.U.I.O.O.F. Building Escalators Great Public Interest', Building: the magazine for the architect, builder, property owner and merchant, vol 52, no 301	View detail
Electronic	Deakin University		'Painted the town red', Fusion: Deakin Exhibitions Online	View detail
Electronic	Deakin University		'A versatile medium', Fusion: Deakin Exhibits Online	View detail
Electronic	Erika Dicker	2008	Terracotta roof tile, 1916-1950	View detail
Electronic	G.P. Walsh	2006	Ernest Julius Wunderlich (1859-1945)	View detail
Written	Graham Jahn	1997	Sydney Architecture
Electronic	Mark Dunn	2008	Transport House building	View detail
Electronic	Mel Flyte	2020	John Bradfield	View detail
Electronic	Miles Lewis		'Tiles & decorative terra cotta', Australian Building: A Cultural Investigation	View detail
Electronic	Neil Radford	2016	Victoria Barracks	View detail
Written	Patrick Van Daele and Roy Lumby	1997	A Spirit of Progress: Art Deco Architecture in Australia
Electronic	Paul Irish and Tamika Goward	2015	'Wynyard Walk campsite', Barani: Sydney's Aboriginal History	View detail
Electronic	Peter Spearritt	2006	John Job Crew Bradfield (1867-1943)	View detail
Electronic	R.M. Audley	2006	Thomas Joseph (Tom) Hartigan (1877-1963)	View detail
Written	Sydney Morning Herald	1937	‘Escalators at David Jones, Ltd.’, Sydney Morning Herald (27 November)	View detail
Electronic	Sydney Trains		History of the NSW railways	View detail
Written	TAM - Sydney Trains		Wynyard Railway Station	View detail
Electronic	Transport for NSW	2025	Virtual Warrane @ Wynyard	View detail
Electronic	Vanessa Berry		Underground albums	View detail
Electronic	Wunderlich Limited	1939	Wunderlich ceramic veneer: a new economical terra cotta facing for commercial buildings	View detail
Electronic	Wunderlich Limited	1938	Wunderlich terra cotta and faience	View detail
Written	Wunderlich Limited	1957	Seventy Years of Wunderlich Industry

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5044984
File number:	S91/02291/11; EF14/5674

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