City Engineering and Building Surveyor's Department

Unique IDAG-0061DescriptionIn accordance with the recommendations of the City Commissioners in 1928, four departments and two branches from other departments were amalgamated into a new department called the City Engineering and Building Surveyor's Department.

The abolished departments were CA 78, City Architect and Building Surveyor's Department I; CA 88, City Engineer and City Surveyor's Department; CA 85, City Cleansing Engineer's Department; and CA 93, City Building Constructor's Department. The Stores Branch of CA 79, Corporation Assets and Stores Department, and the Parks Branch of CA 40, Town Clerk's Department, were transferred to the new Department.

The Department was originally divided into four branches - architectural, cleansing, building regulation, and building maintenance. Its activities included survey and engineering; street maintenance; Town Hall, depot and garage storekeeping; workshop management; supervision of parks and reserves, including sports facilities; garbage collection and disposal; supervision of building regulations; architectural works; street lights; maintenance of fountains; hoarding and electric sign permits.

In 1930 the Department was strengthened and its activities were redefined into eight major branches:

Management Branch: general administration and accounting functions.

Engineering Branch: surveys, plans, estimates, design, road construction and reconstruction, resumptions, street lighting, nameplaces, depots, plant and equipment.

Building Regulation Branch: building construction and alteration, maintenance of complete records of all City buildings, and testing concrete and condemned structures.

Architectural Design Branch: plans, surveys and estimates of buildings required by Council including substations for the Electricity Department.

Building Maintenance Branch: construction, maintenance, and repair of municipal buildings, including resumed properties.

Cleansing Branch: collection and disposal of refuse, street cleansing, including gullies, horse troughs, fountains, public conveniences, and urinals.

Transport Branch: motor transport fleet, garage control and maintenance, including the mechanical workshop.

Parks, Reserves and Recreations Branch: control and maintenance of these areas, including sporting facilities, such as golf links and tennis courts.

The supervision and maintenance of playgrounds was added to the Parks Branch in 1932. By 1934, Children's Playgrounds had become a separate branch, bringing the number of branches to nine. In 1935, the Parks Branch became responsible for development of City parks, Dawes Point Park and the Harbour Bridge Reserves.

On 1 June 1936, Council split the Department into two: CA 5, City Engineer's Department I, 1936-1988, which took charge of the Management, Cleansing, Construction and Maintenance, Engineering, Parks and Transport Branches, and CA 16, City Architect and Building Surveyor's Department II, 1936-1971, which took over the Architectural and Building Regulations branches.CreationResolution of Council 31 August 1928AbolitionResolution of Council 1 June 1936

Series

City Engineer's Miscellaneous Cards, 1881-1993

Acts and Gazettes Book, 1849-1989

City Engineers Plans Register, 1809-1999

Legal Opinions Books, 1924-1984

Roadway Control Books, 1834-1987

Deeds Registers, 1831-1991 [Sydney City Council /South Sydney City Council]

Government Building Plans I, 1912-1979

Demolition Books - Glass Negatives, 1900-1937

City Surveyor's Contracts, 1868-1956

Description Books, 1870-1982

City Cleansing Engineer's Files, 1926-1933

Plans of Town Hall Block A Offices, 1925-1930

Miscellaneous Council Plans, 1920-1938

Architectural and Engineering Drawings Relating to the Hyde Park Project, 1987-1992

Council Plans II, 1927-1990

Indexes to City Engineer's Corespondence Files, 1950-1976

Council Plans I, 1870-1984

Hyde Park Plans and sketches drawn by Norman Weekes, 1927-1932

Plans of the Queen Victoria Building (QVB), 1892-1930

Cleansing Department Photographs, 1929-1990

Planning Street Cards, 1920-1994

City Engineer's Plans of Proposed Survey Work, 1856

Alignment and Realignment Plans, 1887-1968

Agency

City Architect and Building Surveyor's Department II

City Engineer's Department I

Position

Inspector of Steel Work [City Engineering and Building Surveyor's Department]

Description

Start date31st August 1928End date1st June 1936Relationship legacy dataPRECEDED BY: Town Clerks Department AG-0040 (31/08/1928) - Parks Branch
PRECEDED BY: Corporation Assets and Stores Department AG-0079 (13/03/1929) - Responsibility for stores management
PRECEDED BY: City Building Constructors Department I AG-0093 (31/08/1928)
PRECEDED BY: City Engineer and City Surveyors Department II AG-0088 (29/08/1928)
PRECEDED BY: City Cleansing Engineers Department AG-0085 (29/08/1928)
PRECEDED BY: City Architect and Building Surveyors Department I AG-0078 (31/08/1928)
RELATED TO: Sydney City Council OR-0001 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Streets engineering FN-0016 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Parks and public spaces management FN-0014 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Community services and facilities FN-0013 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Building and development regulation FN-0010 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Resumptions of land FN-0009 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Streets lighting FN-0008 (13/08/1928 to 31/12/1935)
RELATED TO: Property management FN-0006 (13/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Garbage and refuse cleansing FN-0003 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
RELATED TO: Council administration FN-0026 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
SUBORDINATE AGENCY: Sydney Streets Opening Conference AG-0138 (31/08/1928 to 01/06/1936)
Source System ID61

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City Engineering and Building Surveyor's Department