Boasting the most extravagant of Sydney’s old English charm, The Queen Victoria Building sits smugly on an entire block of the Sydney city. Bound by George, Market, York and Druitt Streets, and sitting in high-Victorian fashion, the regal building is crowned in copper domes and dressed in golden sandstone. Affectionately known as the QVB by Sydney siders, it is guarded by a glorious statue of Queen Victoria herself throned at the entrance, looking somewhat disapprovingly out over Sydney’s new metropolitan style.
Erected in 1898 as a mark of honor of the Queens jubilee, The QVB’s construction brought relief during the Great Depression, giving craftsmen a step out of unemployment (a somewhat grander version of Peter Garret's Insulation Scheme). Over the span of its life, it has hosted a library, a concert hall, shops fronts and offices. The fortress’ charming columns and stained glass arch windows are lucky to still be standing as the city council seriously entertained the thought of replacing it with a parking lot! Yet in 1982 it was restored and leased on a 99 year agreement by the Malyasian firm Ipoh Garden Berhad, and continues to retain its former glory. Its original spiraled cast iron stair cases run up into the ceiling and the crafted railings still stand, framing the voids of the top three floors. However, there are a few modern features such as elevators and contemporary bathrooms bringing the building into the Twenty-first Century.
The Queen’s quarters never look as magnificent than at Christmas when dressed in her very best jewels. Crowned in Swarovski crystals, Australia’s largest Christmas tree towers from the ground floor where shoppers walk beneath the branches frosted with 40,000 lights, 8,000 baubles, and 400 bows. The tree reaches high enough for the shining star to peep out of the dome ceiling and gleam above the Sydney streets.
The fortress is now home to 200 of some of the most prestigious international brand names along with unique cafes and eateries. Walking through the promenade under the open glass ceiling, the temptation to spend is augmented with the warm lights and decorative shop displays. Yet beware of the climbing price tags that escalate with each level!
A marriage of history and future framed in glass, sits a sealed letter from Queen Elizabeth II penned in 1986, displayed on the fourth floor. Its contents shall remain a mystery until it is to be opened in 2085 and read aloud to the People of Sydney by the Future Lord Mayor of the city.
The Queen Victoria Building has been named by fashion designer Pierre Cardin as “the most beautiful shopping centre in the world”, and with as many shops to explore as stories to tell, a journey through the regal archways is a romanticising experience fit for kings and paupers alike.
I could sit and observe the amazing QVB building for an entire day, but unless i had Pierre Cardin shopping with me, i think observe is all i can afford to do at the 'most beautiful shopping centre in the world'
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