View source for Pitt Street

{{Short description|Street in Sydney, Australia}}
{{For|streets with this name in other places|Pitt Street (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox Australian road
| urban=yes
| road_name    = Pitt{{nbsp}}Street, Sydney
| state        = nsw
| type         = street
| image        = Bike path on Pitt Street in Sydney CBD May 2023.jpg
| use_lga_map  = yes
| alternative_location_map=Australia Sydney central
| caption      = Pitt Street, looking north
| length       = 2.5
| direction_a  = Northern
| direction_b  = Southern
| end_a        = '''[[Alfred Street, Sydney|Alfred Street]]'''<br />{{small|[[Sydney central business district|Sydney CBD]]}}
| end_b        = '''[[George Street, Sydney|George Street]]'''<br />{{small|[[Haymarket, New South Wales|Haymarket, Sydney]]}}
| coordinates_a = {{coord|-33.861375|151.209243|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=inline}}
| coordinates_b = {{coord|-33.882842|151.204197|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=inline}}
| pushpin_label_position_a = top
| pushpin_label_position_b = top
| est          = 
| route        = 
| exits        = {{plainlist|
*[[Bridge Street, Sydney|Bridge Street]]
*[[Hunter Street, Sydney|Hunter Street]]
*[[Martin Place]]
*[[King Street, Sydney|King Street]]
*[[Market Street, Sydney|Market Street]]
*[[Park Street, Sydney|Park Street]]
*[[Bathurst Street, Sydney|Bathurst Street]]
*[[Liverpool Street, Sydney|Liverpool Street]]
*[[Goulburn Street]]
*[[Hay Street, Sydney|Hay Street]]
*[[Eddy Avenue]]
}}
| lga          = [[City of Sydney]]
| through      = [[Sydney central business district|Sydney CBD]], {{NSWcity|Haymarket}}
}}

'''Pitt Street''' is a major street in the [[Sydney central business district]] in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. The street runs through the entire city centre from [[Circular Quay]] in the north to [[Waterloo, New South Wales|Waterloo]], although today's street is in two disjointed sections after a substantial stretch of it was removed to make way for Sydney's [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central railway station]]. Pitt Street is well known for the pedestrian only retail centre of [[Pitt Street Mall]], a section of the street which runs from [[King Street, Sydney|King Street]] to [[Market Street, Sydney|Market Street]].

Pitt Street is a [[One-way traffic|one way]] (southbound only) from Circular Quay to Pitt Street Mall and (northbound only) from Pitt Street Mall to [[Goulburn Street]], while Pitt Street Mall is for pedestrians only. It is dominated by retail and commercial office space.

==History==
Pitt Street was originally named Pitt Row,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115601610/12804777|title=NOTES AND ANECDOTES ABOUT OLD PITT STREET: FROM ONE OfIr.C. H. BERTIE'S ARRESTING ARTICLES|work=[[National Library of Australia]]|publisher=[[The Catholic Weekly|The Freeman's Journal]]|date=1 July 1920|access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref> and is one of the earliest named streets in Sydney. Pitt Street is believed to have been named by [[Governor of New South Wales|Governor]] [[Arthur Phillip]] in honour of [[William Pitt the Younger]], at the time, the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister of Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Reed, A. W. |author-link=A. W. Reed |title=Place Names of Australia |publisher=Reed Books |location=Frenchs Forest, NSW |year=1973 |edition=1984 reprinted |page=176 |isbn=0-589-50128-3 }}</ref> In 1853, Pitt Street was extended north from [[Hunter Street, Sydney|Hunter Street]] to [[Circular Quay]].<ref>City of Sydney, [http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/aboutsydney/historyandarchives/SydneyHistory/StreetNames.asp Street Names] 22 May 2009</ref>

[[File:Pitt St, Sydney from The Powerhouse Museum Collection colour.jpg|thumb|left|Pitt Street, {{circa|1900}} ]]

Pitt Street was previously a one-way street in a southerly direction from Circular Quay to Campbell Street. In preparation for the construction of the [[Pitt Street Mall]], in February 1987 the sections between Hunter Street and [[Martin Place]], and Martin Place and [[King Street, Sydney|King Street]] were converted to two-way [[Dead end (street)|cul de sacs]] to allow the Martin Place plaza to be extended. This was later reverted and today the Circular Quay to King Street section is one-way throughout in a southerly direction. From Goulburn Street to [[Park Street, Sydney|Park Street]] was converted to become one-way in a northerly direction. The [[Market Street, Sydney|Market Street]] to Park Street section initially remained as a southbound street, but was later converted to run northbound. The [[Goulburn Street]] to Campbell Street section was converted to two-way.<ref>Changes to City Plan Effective February 8, 1987 ''[[Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|Daily Telegraph]]'' 27 January 1987 page 15</ref><ref>Work starts on new park street ''[[The Sun-Herald]]'' 8 February 1987 page 23</ref><ref>Pitt Street mall ''[[Transit Australia]]'' May 1987 page 90</ref>

Five weeks after it opened, half of the original [[Pitt Street Mall]] length was closed as a pedestrian mall with vehicles reintroduced due to concerns of higher vehicle traffic on [[George Street, Sydney|George Street]]. Vehicles were re-introduced between [[King Street, Sydney|King Street]] and [[Hunter Street, Sydney|Hunter Street]] on March 28th 1987. The [[NRMA]] supported this as they believed it would relieve traffic congestion.<ref>
{{cite newspaper
|title=It's official: the Pitt Street plan is a failure
|author=Ross Coulthart
|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald
|date=1987-03-17
|page=2
|url=https://smharchives.smedia.com.au/Olive/APA/smharchive/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=SMH%2F1987%2F03%2F17&id=Ar00202&sk=8954DA0B&viewMode=image
<!-- text at https://smharchives.smedia.com.au/Olive/APA/smharchive/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=SMH%2F1987%2F03%2F17&id=Ar00202&sk=8954DA0B&viewMode=text -->
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023231322/https://smharchives.smedia.com.au/Olive/APA/smharchive/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=SMH%2F1987%2F03%2F17&id=Ar00202&sk=8954DA0B&viewMode=image
|archive-date=2025-10-23
}}</ref>

===Tram line===
The Circular Quay to [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central station]] line was an important part of the [[Trams in Sydney|Sydney tram network]]. It was an extremely busy service for passengers transferring from suburban trains, particularly prior to the opening of the [[City Circle]] underground railway line in 1926. Trams operated in a loop from Central station, running north along Pitt Street to Circular Quay returning south via [[Castlereagh Street]]. These tracks were also used by some [[Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)|eastern]] and [[Inner West|south-western]] routes during busy periods. The line closed on 27 September 1957 with four tram services replaced with buses and three others diverted to operate via [[Elizabeth Street, Sydney|Elizabeth Street]].<ref>New Details of Sunday's CHange-over to Buses in Sydney ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' 27 September 1957 page 4</ref><ref>Buses Replace Trams in Two Sydney Streets ''[[Truck & Bus Transportation]]'' November 1957 page 46</ref> The line made use of the sandstone viaduct onto the colonnade above [[Eddy Avenue]] at Central station, which since 1997 has formed part of the [[Inner West Light Rail]].

=== Heritage-listed properties ===
The following properties, located on or adjacent to Pitt Street, are listed on various national, state, and/or local government heritage registers:
*[[Bulletin Place warehouses]], on Bulletin Place, between Pitt Street and Macquarie Place<ref name=nswshr-651>{{cite NSW SHR|5045669|Bulletin Place Restaurant|hr=00651|fn=S90/04406 & HC 89/1130|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=nswshr-652>{{cite NSW SHR|5045674|Building|hr=00652|fn=S90/04407 & HC 89/1131|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=nswshr-653>{{cite NSW SHR|5045084|Warehouse (former)|hr=00653|fn=S90/01846 & HC 89/1278|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[Commonwealth Trading Bank Building]]<ref name=AHD>{{cite AHD|1837|Commonwealth Trading Bank Building, 108-120 Pitt St, Sydney, NSW, Australia|access-date=20 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite NSW HD|2423842|Former "Commonwealth Bank of Australia Building" including interiors|access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref>
*[[Kings Hotel, Sydney CBD|Kings Hotel]]<ref name=nswshr-417>{{cite NSW SHR|5045576|Sugar House|hr=00417|fn=S90/02145 & HC 33041|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[Pitt Street Uniting Church]]<ref name=nswshr-22>{{cite NSW SHR|5045476|Pitt Street Uniting Church|hr=00022|fn=S90/06150 & HC 32124|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[Soul Pattinson Building]]<ref>{{Cite NSW HD|2424035|Former "Phoenix Chambers" and Soul Pattinson Store Including Interior|access-date=20 December 2018}}</ref>
*[[The Strand Arcade]]<ref name=nswshr-1864>{{cite NSW SHR|5050662|Strand Arcade|hr=01864|fn=S90/05312, 11/05819|access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[Sydney School of Arts building]]<ref name=nswshr-366>{{cite NSW SHR|5045541|Sydney School of Arts|hr=00366|fn=S90/00924 & HC 32502|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref>
*Former [[Sydney Water Head Office]]<ref name=nswshr-1645>{{cite NSW SHR|5053884|Sydney Water Head Office (former) (1939 building)|hr=01645|fn=EF14/5615; H05/115|access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[The Sydney Club]]<ref name=nswshr-583>{{cite NSW SHR|5045601|Sydney Club|hr=00583|fn=S91/02489 & HC 871941|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref>
*[[Wales House, Sydney|Wales House]],<ref name=nswshr-586>{{cite NSW SHR|5045090|Wales House|hr=00586|fn=S91/00290 & HC 88/1337|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref> now part of the [[Radisson Blu]] hotel chain<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radissonblu.com/en/plazahotel-sydney/gallery |title=Gallery |work=Radisson Blu Sydney |publisher=[[Radisson Hotels]] |date=n.d. |access-date=22 December 2018 }}</ref>

== Pitt Street Cycleway ==
During the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 the City of Sydney installed a "pop up" (or temporary) cycleway on Pitt Street. This cycleway was the busiest of all the pop up cycleways installed, with an average of 4430 weekly trips.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Nigel Gladstone, Angus |date=2021-05-07 |title=Sydney’s most popular pop-up bike path overtakes city’s busiest |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/unparalleled-sydney-s-most-popular-pop-up-bike-path-overtakes-city-s-busiest-20210505-p57p6e.html |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>

In March 2021 the city announced the cycleway would become permanent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pitt Street leads the way with plans for a permanent cycleway {{!}} City of Sydney - News |url=https://news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/articles/pitt-street-leads-the-way-with-plans-for-a-permanent-cycleway |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au |language=en}}</ref> It now connects to the [[King Street, Sydney|King Street]] cycleway at the south end.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:The first Tramways Dated c. 10 1 1880 Depot at Pitt Street.jpg|[[Trams in Sydney|Sydney's first Tramways depot]], corner of Pitt Street and what was then Gipps St West and Garden Road, looking SE across the Old Cemeteries towards {{NSWcity|Surry Hills}}. [[Eddy Avenue]] roughly follows Garden Road,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.map-rm3443-sd&rgn=0.3418884664,0.4464162249,0.5320025349,0.5846969348&width=1200&cmd=pan&y=1200|title=Map of the city of Sydney, New South Wales|publisher=[[National Library of Australia]]|access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref> {{circa|1880}}.
File:(1) City Tattersals Club.JPG|[[City Tattersalls Club]]
File:The Sydney Club, 122 Pitt Street.jpg|[[The Sydney Club]]
File:(1) Pitt Street (a).JPG|Building in Italianate style
File:(1) Pitt Street (d).JPG|Restored 1903 building
File:Pitt Street Mall, 2014.jpg|[[Pitt Street Mall]] from [[King Street, Sydney|King Street]] looking south
File:Pitt Street, Sydney, looking south from The Powerhouse Museum Collection.jpg|Looking south c. 1900
File:1 Pitt and Hunter002.jpg|Archival image of Pitt and [[Hunter Street, Sydney|Hunter Streets]], showing [[Wales House, Sydney|Wales House]]
File:(1)Pitt St Uniting Church-5.jpg|[[Pitt Street Uniting Church]] interior 
File:Building labourer on a stone being hoisted up to building, Pitt St, Sydney, c. 1930s, by Sam Hood (4441498235).jpg|Building labourer on a stone being hoisted up to building, Pitt St, Sydney, c. 1930s. Photo by [[Sam Hood]].
File:(1)Pitt St Uniting Church-4.jpg|Pitt Street Uniting Church
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pitt Street, Sydney|Pitt Street}}
{{Attached KML}}

* {{cite web | url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/women_of_pitt_street_1858 | title = Women of Pitt Street 1858 | access-date = 30 September 2015 | author = Catherine Bishop|author-link1=Catherine Bishop (historian) | date = 2011 | work=[[Dictionary of Sydney]]}} <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Creative Commons license|CC BY-SA]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>
* {{cite web | url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/poverty_point | title = Poverty Point [corner of Park and Pitt Streets] | access-date = 28 September 2015 | author = Shirley Fitzgerald – City of Sydney History Unit | date = 2008 | work=[[Dictionary of Sydney]]}} <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Creative Commons license|CC BY-SA]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>

{{Streets of Sydney Australia}}

[[Category:Pitt Street, Sydney]]