The Head Office building of The Bank of New South Wales was designed by prolific Melbourne architect Joseph Reed and constructed at 368"374 Collins St, Melbourne, in 1856"1857. The faade of the Bank of New South Wales building is prized as a leading example of mid nineteenth century Renaissance Revival architecture in Melbourne.
Structural shortcomings and the desire for expansion led to the building's demolition in 1932. Reed's original National Trust heritage-listed faade was preserved and gifted to the University of Melbournein 1938, where it can still be seen on the western face of the Melbourne School of Design (school for Architecture, Building and Planning), opposite Union Lawn.
In 1933 Architects Godfrey and Spowers were chosen to design the new premisesfor the Bank of New South Wales to be built on the same plot at 368"374 Collins St. The art deco design was completed in 1936 and won the Street Architecture Gold Medal in the same year.
