Rowe Street was named in honour of
Thomas Rowe (1829–1899), a prominent
architect in the
colony of New South Wales. Originally, Rowe Street ran between Castlereagh Street and Pitt Street, parallel to
Martin Place. The street was a centre for Sydney's bohemian life from the late 19th century until the 1970s, described in 1931 as "the primrose path of dalliance". It may have been the birthplace of Sydney's famous
push movement. The precinct included the original
Theatre Royal, the
Playbox Theatre, art studios and galleries, restaurants, cafés and
coffee shops, many well-known fashion, clothing, interior design, and jewellery shops.
Rowe Street Records was one of the first specialist import record stores in Australia. In 1956
Mervyn Horton, the gay editor, art collector, and philanthropist opened Galleria Espresso, an espresso bar and art gallery at 27 Rowe Street. Most of the Rowe Street precinct, including the palatial
Hotel Australia, was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for the
MLC Centre, a monolithic modernist edifice designed by Sydney architect
Harry Seidler. ==Description==