The GIO Building is a heritage-listed office tower located at 60-70 Elizabeth Street in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia.

Josephson was a jeweller by profession, a Jewish Christian who reached Sydney in May 1818 as a result of being convicted of having forged bank notes in his possession.

He acquired a large amount of real estate, partly through inheritance, and between 1881 and 1900 he represented the Ward of Denison on the Sydney Municipal Council, and Sydney-Denison in the Legislative Assembly between 1894 and 1901.

The section between Hunter and King streets showed that "with few exceptions the whole of the buildings are of modern construction, and being situated in the vicinity of the Supreme Court, are principally occupied as Chambers by the Barristers, and other members of the Legal Profession".

It was one of the earliest properties in NSW to have been brought under these provisions, and at the time much of it was occupied by a number of houses that fronted Elizabeth and Phillip Street.

At the same time, the Phillip Street facade was more elaborate in its decorative treatment and punctuated by arched openings, in addition to being a storey taller.

Despite obtaining the loan, in a relatively short period of time the Australian Newspaper Company found itself contemplating the very real prospect of liquidation.

Sedater [sic] schools of journalism looked askance at many of Mr. Grover's "revolutionary" changes, but the public evinced a growing appetite for them.

[1] Circulation on the first day was double that of The Star, helped no doubt by promotional stunts such as motor boats bearing Sun posters speeding around the harbour and a chariot drawn by seven horses driven by a golden haired "Apollo" traversing Sydney's streets.

The sun was successful because, amongst other things, its publishers made great and innovative use of a cable service from overseas and gave a large amount of its space over to crime and human interest stories.

Evidently Sun Newspapers Ltd recognised that the extension would eventually take place, reflected by the purchase of the property between Elizabeth and Phillip Streets from Josephson and Wilson that concluded in February 1921.

The entries were adjudicated by Professor Leslie Wilkinson, Chair of the School of Architecture at the University of Sydney, and Kingsley Henderson, a prominent architect from Melbourne whose practice designed many major office buildings throughout Australia during the 1920s and into the 1930s.

[1] The newly completed Sun Building, built by Concrete Constructions, was officially opened on 15 October 1929 by the Governor of NSW, Sir Dudley de Chair.

[1] The appearance of the building's exterior excited interest because it was an example of the newly popular "commercial Gothic" idiom that enjoyed a brief flowering in Sydney and other Australian cities in the second half of the 1920s and into the early 1930s.

The editors of the influential architectural journal Building felt that:[1] ...[t]he five great openings at the bottom are dignified enough in themselves, only with their turned columns of Tuscan form and darker material, they do not appear to be in keeping with the rest of the ornament, which is applied to, rather than embodied in the composition.

The plots, protected by chains slung between posts, were enhanced by decorative pedestals amidst expanses of lawn and young trees.

The directors of the company were forced to undertake some drastic measures as a result of the economic depression of the early 1930s and correspondingly reduced circulating revenue.

During 1936 the principal assets of S Bennett Limited were sold to Consolidated Press Holdings (of which Associated Newspapers was a shareholder), as was the goodwill of The Daily Telegraph.

It was decided to consolidate these interests and reduce operating expenses by amalgamating the two companies, and to this end Sun Newspapers was voluntarily liquidated on 29 March 1937.

[1] In 1947 two new magazines were introduced - Sporting Life and Glamour - and in the second half of 1949 Sungravure Limited was formed to take over the company's rotogravure printing activities.

At the Annual General Meeting of Associated Newspapers held at the end of 1953, Warwick Fairfax gave notice of his candidature for election to the Board.

This followed on from negotiations with John Fairfax & Sons earlier in the year that were concluded by the issue of shares to that company, to assist Associated Newspapers in improving its financial position.

[1] Evidently Sun Newspapers Ltd foresaw the need to expand its new premises within the next decade, for its site was enlarged in October 1931 by the acquisition of a new title from the Sydney City Council of a part of the former Allotment 7, 68-70 Elizabeth Street.

[1] From 1959 onwards the building was subjected to numerous programs of alteration and modification, and for a number of years these were designed by the architectural firm of Morrow and Gordon.

For instance, the Melbourne-based architect Guildford Bell designed facilities for Ansett Transport Industries in the basement and ground floor levels during 1959.

This resulted in the removal of all the interior fabric excepting structural items from the ground levels upwards and installation of new services, lifts, stairs and toilet areas.

[1] A Structure and Facade Review of the building was undertaken by Ove Arup & Partners for Rider Hunt Terotech, and is appended to this report.

[1] The ground floor levels contain retail tenancies and a large central circulation space that links Elizabeth and Phillip Streets.

Columns are faced with mirrored glass whilst ceilings are divided into recessed sections from which large light fixtures are suspended.

The building also contains a small amount of original internal fabric in the form of the boardroom on the seventh floor and the associated ante room.