Lands Department Building

The Lands Department Building was designed by the Colonial Architect James Barnet, and was built in two stages. The first stage was between 1876–81; the second stage was between 1888-92 under the supervision of the Colonial Architect Walter Vernon. The first stage saw the use of reinforced concrete slabs by the builder John Young who was Sydney's first protagonist of ferro-cement construction.

Sometime between 1887 and 1894 the Lands Department Datum Bench Mark Plug was set into position on the front of the building and provided the origin of all levels in NSW under the Survey Co-ordination Act. In 1938, a clock for the tower and a clock system throughout the building to be driven electronically by a pendulum master clock were installed by Prouds Limited. The whole system was Australian made.

In the late 1980s, the building was earmarked by the NSW Government as one of the possible sites for conversion into a casino. A Permanent Conservation Order covering the premises was passed by the NSW Heritage Council to protect the building from unsympathetic development.

The NSW Department of Planning and Environment moved from the former Lands Department building in September 2016. Up until now, the NSW Government Department (of Lands) had been in the Bridge Street building since it was completed in 1892. In 2023, the building was refurbished into a hotel where the historical features were to be retained.