Not far from the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Sydney Opera House sits the Government Building, which faces Sydney Harbour. Once the official residence of the Governor of New South Wales, it is now a museum, though it does host regular government receptions.
The residence of the colony's first governor, Arthur Phillip, in 1788 was a structure made of logs covered with tarpaulins. A substantial building was then erected on the spot where Bridge Street and Phillip Street intersect today, and became a full-fledged governor's residence. Its architect was James Bloodsworth, under whose direction most of the colony's buildings were constructed between 1788 and 1800. The first Government Building was rebuilt and repaired by the next eight governors, but generally remained in poor condition, and was demolished in 1846.
In 1835, the British Government decided that Sydney needed a new Government Building, and commissioned the Royal Architect Edward Blore to design the project. Construction work began in 1837 - stone, cedar and marble for the building were brought in from all parts of the colony. As early as 1843, a ball in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday was held in the new governor's residence, although construction was not yet complete. The first occupant of the building was Governor George Gipps, who moved in in 1845.
The Government Building is in the romantic neo-Gothic style - decorated with dentils and turrets, it is adorned with portraits and costumes of its high-profile occupants. In 1873, a gallery was added to the building, a veranda was added 6 years later, and in 1900-1901 the ballroom and the governor's office were enlarged.
For a century and a half - from 1845 to 1996 - the building served as the official residence of the Governor of New South Wales. However, in 1996, the government moved to the nearby Secretary General's Building. Former Premier Bob Carr explained the change: "The Governor's residence should be less associated with pageantry and ceremony, less encumbered by outdated protocols, but in tune with the mood of the people".
