Sydney Masonic Centre
Sydney Masonic Centre is a Masonic headquarters and events venue at 66 Goulburn Street, on the corner of Castlereagh Street in Sydney, Australia. Built for the Grand Lodge of New South Wales, it opened officially on 10 March 1979. It remains in Masonic ownership and also accommodates conferences, exhibitions and other public events.[1]
Planning and construction
The centre replaced an earlier Masonic hall designed by Backhouse and Lough in 1884. In 1967, Grand Architect T. W. Hodgson and Ronald Gilling of Joseland and Gilling were appointed to design the new premises.[1] The Australian Institute of Architects' register credits Joseland and Gilling together with T. W. Hodgson and Sons, and dates construction to 1975–1978.[2]
The foundation stone was laid in May 1976. Occupation began in December 1978, before the formal opening the following March.[3]
Architecture
The building is an example of Brutalist Masonic architecture. Its reinforced-concrete exterior combines curved forms with broad, largely unbroken wall surfaces. Inside, a three-storey entrance foyer brings together a winding staircase, circular lift shafts and a woven sculpture by Mona Hessing commissioned for the building.[3]
The original scheme combined Masonic meeting rooms, dining accommodation and administrative offices in a lower building, with a commercial tower planned above. The tower was deferred, so photographs taken before its construction show a substantially different skyline.[3]
Civic Tower
Civic Tower was subsequently added above the Masonic Centre. PTW, the architects of this later project, describe it as the completion of the office component of the original scheme, with an enlarged footprint to accommodate updated services and office requirements. The project provided 24 levels of office accommodation and added glazed retail space at the base.[4] The centre's own timeline dates the tower's completion to 2004, while the City of Sydney's heritage inventory gives 2005 for completion of the tower and associated glazing works.[1][3]
Memorial purpose and conservation
The plan for a new headquarters had a commemorative purpose before the present design was commissioned. A proposal revived in 1943 envisaged a Peace Memorial Temple. In 1954 the United Grand Lodge resolved to establish a building fund honouring members who had died in the two world wars. The initial fundraising scheme began in 1957 and was relaunched in 1959.[3]
The City of Sydney's 2020 heritage assessment treats the original podium, its interiors and Mona Hessing's textile artwork as a single heritage item; the office tower above is excluded from that defined item. The assessment recommends retaining the artwork in its original setting and conserving the exposed concrete. It also records alterations, including coatings applied to concrete, glazing around former open areas at street level and replacement finishes on stair shafts. The report therefore distinguishes the original architectural treatment from subsequent changes to the building.[5]
See also
- Masonic architecture
- The Layout of the Craft Lodge
- Freemasons' Hall, Dublin
- Masonic Temple, Philadelphia
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sydney Masonic Centre, About, institutional introduction, history timeline and location. Accessed 30 September 2026.
- ↑ Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Chapter, Register of Significant Buildings in NSW, February 2021, p. 83, Sydney Masonic Centre entry.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 City of Sydney, Sydney Masonic Centre heritage inventory, report dated 20 May 2020, historical notes and physical description, printed pp. 2–4.
- ↑ PTW, Civic Tower, project description. Accessed 30 September 2026.
- ↑ City of Sydney, Sydney Masonic Centre heritage inventory, 20 May 2020, printed pp. 4–5, physical description, modification dates and recommended management.
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