The street is named after William Hope, a merchant whose house stood on the site now occupied by the Philharmonic Hall.

This replaced the original building built 90 years earlier to designs by John Cunningham that burned down in 1933.

The first floor windows and main entrance doors have etched glass by Hector Whistler.

Various items of luggage, cast in concrete, are stacked on the pavement – the labels on the suitcases refer to notable individuals and institutions linked with the local area.

Facing the Anglican Cathedral on Hope Street is Gambier Terrace of which numbers 2–10 were built between 1832 and 1837 by the developer Ambrose Lace, to a design in ashlar ad stucco often attributed to John Foster Jr.