National Art School
The National Art School occupies the site of the former Darlinghurst Gaol
10am–4pm
About the building
The National Art School occupies the site of the former Darlinghurst Gaol. Before colonisation, the site was an important gathering place of the Gadigal people and a major thoroughfare for Gadigal and other Aboriginal people of these lands.
Construction of the gaol walls began in 1822 using convict labour. The sandstone blocks making up the 6.5-metre-high walls on the southern and eastern sides still have the convicts’ marks, or ‘dargs’, on them. The gaol buildings – originally designed by Mortimer Lewis and George Barney in 1836 – had a radial design with an observational rotunda at the centre and seven separate two-storey cell blocks radiating from it.
Darlinghurst Gaol closed in 1914. With the outbreak of World War I, the site was used as an internment camp for enemy aliens and to house the military. In 1922, most of the cells were removed and the National Art School moved onto the site as part of East Sydney Technical College. The National Art School is the longest running independent art school in Australia. It provides specialised tertiary-level courses in fine art across various disciplines in the same historic sandstone buildings that held thousands of prisoners from 1841 to 1914.
Sydney Open visitors can explore this unique site and view the NAS Archive and Collection, which houses artworks by alumni and staff from 1922 to today, as well as archival material relating to the history of Darlinghurst Gaol. They can also go into the former women’s gaol wing, now known as the Cell Block Theatre (opened by Katharine Hepburn and Robert Helpmann in 1955); venture into the tunnel beneath Building 22 (the governor's quarters); visit the spectacular circular two-storey chapel; and dine inside Cafe NAS or in the shade of the magnificent established trees in the NAS forecourt garden.
Built
1822–85, conversion to technical college 1921–25
Architect
Mortimer Lewis, George Barney, James Barnet
Alterations
Alexander Dawson, 1862; Walter Liberty Vernon, 1890–1911; Barry McGregor Architects, 2015; Urbis, AMU Project, 2022
Awards
National Trust Heritage Award – Highly Commended, 2023
Listing on the NSW State Heritage Register, 2021
State Significant Organisation, 2019
Acknowledgements
The National Art School is a State Significant Organisation and receives funding from Create NSW.
Find out more about this building here
National Art School
Corner Forbes and Burton streets, Darlinghurst
Entry details
NAS Archive and Collection, Chapel, Cafe NAS, Cell Block Theatre, the NAS Library and the tunnel underneath Building 22
10am–4pm
3.30pm
Need to know
Accessible featuresThe lower level of the Chapel is accessible; the upper level is accessed via stairs. There is a lift to the NAS Archive and Collection. The tunnel underneath Building 22 has steps. Accessible toilets are available
Toilets availableBaby changing facilities
Photography allowedFood and drink availableCafe NAS
