Macquarie Street
Macquarie’s critics never ceased pointing out that he had virtually paid in rum for Sydney’s second general hospital.
Looking back, it seems a brilliant street by the government to have acquired a huge public building for nothing, whatever that means employed.
The first General Hospital was in what is now lower George Street. By Macquarie’s time it was a filthy house of death. The governor then let the contract for a new one in Macquarie Street to 3 men who had never built anything:
D’Arcy Wentworth
– Garnham Blaxcell
– Alexander Riley
In return they were permitted to import 45,000 gallons of rum in three years.
This was almost a monopoly, but the three speculators do not seem to have made much profit on it.
The hospital, the first part of which was opened in 1816, was in three sections.
The present Sydney hospital stands on the side of the large central block, which was pulled down in 1879. To the north and the south of the main block with separate -surgeons quarters. The wing in the north still stands, as Parliament house.
It is a quite a mess of additions, tacked on to save space to cramped legislators. It’s twin the Southern building, which first housed the assistant surgeons, has escaped uglification. It stands at the top of Macquarie Street, it’s pillared facade admired as a fine relic of colonial design.
From 1855 to 1926 a branch of the Royal Mint worked there, producing the first New South Wales sovereign Beloved by collectors.
It now houses government departments, including ironically, the state housing commission.