Primary contact
Level 1, Town Hall House, 456 Kent Street, SydneySydney, New South Wales 2001
Identity area
Identifier
daa/64
Authorized form of name
City of Sydney Archives
Parallel form(s) of name
Other form(s) of name
Type
- Municipal
Contact area
City Archivist
Type
Address
Street address
Level 1, Town Hall House, 456 Kent Street, Sydney
Locality
Sydney
Region
New South Wales
Country name
Postal code
2001
Telephone
02 9265 9618
Fax
Note
Description area
History
Geographical and cultural context
Since the 1800s the City has absorbed other municipalities as Sydney has grown and developed. See http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/learn/history/archives/using-the-archives
Mandates/Sources of authority
Administrative structure
Officer in charge: City Archivist
Records management and collecting policies
The Archives is responsible for managing all non-current records created by Sydney City Council since 1842 and most of its predecessor organisations since 1859. Some records created by elected officials are also held. We are also the archival agency for the Festival of Sydney Ltd.
The Archives is also responsible for the Sydney Reference Collection of publications and semi-published material, and information folders containing ready-reference material, on aspects of Sydney City history especially the built environment. We actively seek material for inclusion in the Sydney Reference Collection and welcome donations.
Buildings
Holdings
The City of Sydney Archives holds more than 12,000 shelf metres of archives relating to the City of Sydney council and people, places and events within its local government area. It is both a corporate and collecting archive.
Some high use series include:
- CRS 17, Assessment books, 1845-1949 (online access and digitisation in progress as at 2018).
- CRS 51, Demolition photograph books, 1900-1939 (part of our ArchivePix catalog of about 40,000 images available online).
- CRS 126, Building application plans, 1909- present (720m - all catalogued online).
- CRS 116, Central activity files, 1979-1987 (441m - all catalogued online).
- CRS 34, Town Clerks' correspondence files, 1914-1978 (1054m - all catalogued online).
- CRS 28, Town Clerks' correspondence folders, 1900-1913 (400m - all catalogued online).
- CRS 26, Letters received by the Council, 1842-1899 (online cataloguing and digitisation in progress, as at 2018).
Finding aids, guides and publications
Access area
Opening times
Open Monday to Friday 9am-4.30pm by appointment.
Closed public holidays.
Closed public holidays.
Access conditions and requirements
Advance notice (by email) of your research visit is required, so we can assess your document needs and arrange an appointment for you. Almost all original records are held offsite so we are unable to help people who just show up. Prospective researchers are encouraged to visit the Archives pages on the City of Sydney website for more information about records held.
Accessibility
The City of Sydney Archives is wheelchair accessible.
Services area
Research services
General reference assistance available. The City of Sydney Archives has an active digitisation program with many heavily used series available through the web.
Reproduction services
Public areas
Control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised 20 March 2018
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Maintenance notes
Access points
Access Points
- Built Environment (Thematic area)
- Local Studies (Thematic area)
- Politics and Government (Thematic area)
- Populations (Thematic area)