Rozelle Tram Depot opened on 17 April 1904, working in conjunction with
Newtown and
Ultimo depots operating trams on the
western,
south-western and
Ryde tram routes. The depot was originally accessed by a
reserved track from
Glebe which ran along what is now known as Minogue Crescent. Access to the depot was controlled by a
signal box situated near the staff waiting room which also served as a changeover point for drivers. Constructed in stages from 1904 the depot was a 25 road car shed accommodating 96 carriages, this was gradually increased to 125 by 1907. Construction of the second half of the depot in that same year saw the depot cater for an additional 70 trams. From 1918 depot capacity was increased to 200 tram cars. In 1926 and 1928 the Rozelle Depot gardens won the Garden Competition which was held annually between tram depots. A Returned Soldiers branch was established by Tramways employees and a Soldiers Memorial was erected on-site at the front of the Traffic Offices on 26 November 1916. This was to commemorate the various depot staff who served in both
World War I and
World War II. Of the 1,157 Tramway men enlisted during
World War I, 139 were either killed or went missing. Upon closure of Ultimo depot on 27 June 1953, Rozelle depot received additional trams to run the
Darling Street Wharf to
Canterbury route. The depot ceased operations on 22 November 1958 upon closure of the Glebe line. On the following day the depot was cleared of all cars and the lines connecting the system were removed. Soon after its closure the depot was leased out to several different parties, including
CHEP, the
Sydney City Council and the City Tram Association. Five of the trams belonging to the
Sydney Tramway Society were originally acquired and stored in the shed as part of a now defunct plan by the
City of Sydney council to introduce a heritage tramway to
The Rocks. One of the trams was
R1 class 1995, the last tram to operate on Sydney's original tram network, entering
Randwick Tramway Workshops in February 1961 on the last day of operations. In 1995 and 1996, the adjacent
Harold Park Paceway was reconstructed and expanded over
Johnstons Creek and the original tram depot access road. A new access road (now Dalgal Way) to the tram depot was constructed to the west of the tram sheds. All other freestanding buildings within the depot site were also demolished. Summary phases of the former Rozelle Tram Depot site until the 2000s: • 1827–1904 Estuarine land, part of Toxteth Estate • 1904–1909 Tram Depot Establishment • 1904–1958 Tram Depot in Operation • 1959–1980s Storage, Depot and Workshop • 1980s–2004 General Store • 2004–2012 Vacant Building ==Redevelopment==