Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Australian Subscription Library and Reading Room

Building on the corner of Bent and Macquarie Streets constructed in 1845 to house the Australian Subscription Library. The subscription library ran into financial difficulties and was taken over by the state government to became the Sydney Free Public Library in 1869. An addition to the building was made in the 1880s as the collection and number of readers grew. In 1895 the name changed again to the Public Library of New South Wales. The  Public Library collection and staff moved to the new extension of the Mitchell Library building in June 1942. The building on Bent Street was demolished in 1969.

-33.865580163328, 151.21246454898

Milestone
Constructed
1844 - 1845
Modified
1885
Demolished
1969
Name
Commemorated by
Property
Superseded by
Occupied by
1845 - 1869
Occupied by
1869 - 01 Jun 1942
Type

Free Public Library

,
2019


The Free Public Library - which we now know as the State Library of NSW - arose from the ashes of the Australian Library and Literary Institution and its immediate predecessor, the Australian Subscription Library.