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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Multimedia
Melocco Bros working on the Tasman Map mosaic, ...

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Melocco Bros working on the Tasman Map mosaic, 1940

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State Archives & Records New South Wales

[NRS4481_St24753]

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Melocco Brothers Mitchell Library State Library of New South Wales

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Mitchell Library building State Library of New South Wales building

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State Archives & Records New South Wales

Statutory body established by the State Records Act 1998. The Act provides for the creation, management and protection of the records of public offices of the State and for public access to those records.

Based at Kingswood, State Archives and Records NSW manage and provide access to the New South Wales State archives collection, a unique and irreplaceable part of Australia's cultural heritage dating back to 1788.

Italians

There were Italians in Sydney before the proclamation of Italy in 1861 and stonemasons, fishermen, market gardeners and manufacturers have left their mark on the city. Expanded Italian immigration after World War II brought a strong sense of community and culture that has enriched and enlivened Sydney's cuisine and city life.

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Building

Crafts

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Italians

Mitchell Library

Part of the State Library of New South Wales, the Mitchell Library collection is based on the bequest of David Scott Mitchell, a book collector who amassed an unequalled collection of books on Australia. The collection has continued to grow.

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Melocco Brothers

The Melocco Brothers - Pietro (Peter), Antonio and Galliano - were the first tradesmen to practice mosaic craft in New South Wales and introduced terrazzo to Australia. The business was established in 1908 when Pietro Melocco arrived in Sydney from Italy, with his brothers joining him in Australia in 1910. From 1919 the business was located at 1 Booth Street, Annandale. The Melocco Bros carried out some of the finest decorative plaster work in many private homes, theatres and public buildings. Some of the firm's best known works include the crypt of St Mary's Cathedral, the Interstate Booking office at Central Railway Station and the Tasman map in the vestibule of the Mitchell Library building.

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Mitchell Library building

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The Mitchell Library building was erected in 1910 to house David Scott Mitchell's collection of Australiana which he had bequeathed to the people of New South Wales. In 1942 the building was extended and incorporated the New South Wales government's Free Public Library. The Mitchell Library is part of the State Library of New South Wales.

State Library of New South Wales building

Complex comprising the State Reference Library and the Mitchell Library buildings on Macquarie Street. The sandstone Mitchell wing opened in 1910 and was extended in 1942 to incorporate the New South Wales government's Free Public Library. The Macquarie Street wing where the State Reference Library is housed opened in 1988.

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State Library of New South Wales

The State Library of NSW is the oldest library in Australia. In 1869 the NSW Government purchased the Australian Subscription Library, which had been established in 1826, to form the Sydney Free Public Library, the first truly public library for the people of NSW. The Mitchell Library, the first library in the country to concentrate entirely on Australian content, opened in 1910.

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