The George Street North Police Station, also known as Police Station No 4, is located on George Street North in the inner city area of Sydney known as The Rocks.
Brief History
It was designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet in a neo-classical style. The facade was completed in a Palladium Water Gate architectural style. The first building on the site was The First General Hospital dating back to the 1790s which was built by convict carpenters and men on loan from ships that moored in the harbour.
The hospital was demolished in 1796 and rebuilt on a stone foundation but was later closed after the ‘Rum Hospital’ in Macquarie Street was opened in 1816.
The George Street North Police Station was constructed in 1882 and operated until 1974. The police station replaced a lock-up in Harrington Street that was declared “unsightly and uninhabitable” by the Inspector General of Police. The exercise yard was later removed to make way for Nurses Walk.