Sailors' Home Sydney is a building once used by seamen and later as a prison in Sydney, Australia. Sailors used the home until 1980, but the building now houses a restaurant.
The building's 150th anniversary is to be celebrated by the committee established to build and operate the home in Sydney.
In 1859, a provisional committee of citizens was formed with the object of building a Sailors' Home in Sydney to provide them with comfortable accommodation while the seamen were on shore. In 1860, land in George Street North in the Rocks area of Sydney was designated as a suitable site.[citation needed] The original 1860s building was designed by William E. Kemp, of Weaver & Kemp, who later worked in the Colonial Architect's office.[1] It is one of the earliest Sydney examples of the Romanesque Revival style. Construction began in 1863.[citation needed]
The home opened its doors in February 1865. Naval personnel lodged there until 1891 when the Royal Naval House, with accommodation for 300, opened in nearby Grosvenor Street.[citation needed]
In 1925, Spain & Cosh, thanks to an endowment from William Carss,[a] designed a new wing in the interwar free classical architectural style.[1]
Sailors' Home relocated in the 1970s. The building was converted into the Marionette Theatre during the following decade, and in the early 1990s became The Rocks Heritage and Information Centre.[1] At this time, it was In 1992-3 largely restored to its late 19th-century form, with two levels of internal galleries, which was originally split into 3-by-3-metre accommodation for sailors.[2][1]
As of February 2026[update] the building is owned and managed by Placemaking NSW.[1]
