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In 1850–1854, Colonial Architect Edmund Blacket designed stone buildings for a public abattoir on the island. According to Joan Kerr, Blacket's chosen architecture was Norman in inspiration – round-headed openings and simple decoration. Kerr states that the abattoir was almost certainly based on an American design.
On 7 September 1860, Balmain Council resolved to approach the owners of the unsold parts of the Balmain Estate for a grant of land to build a road to the island.Balmain Council Minutes, minute 218, 7 September 1860 The Pyrmont Bridge Company built a low-level timber-framed bridge that connected the island to Pyrmont, and thus to the city, in 1862.Select Committee on the Pyrmont Bridge Company Bill (amended)', NSW Legislative Assembly Votes and Proceedings, 1858, vol 2; Pyrmont Bridge Co – half-yearly meeting, NSW Government Gazette, 1863, p 1619
The abattoirs featured prominently in the 1882 Royal Commission into noxious and offensive trades, instigated by complaints from Balmain and Glebe Point residents."Report of the Royal Commission appointed on 20 November 1882, to inquire into the nature and operations of, and to classify noxious and offensive trades within the city of Sydney and its suburbs and to report generally on such trades; together with the Minutes of Evidence and Appendices ordered by the Council to be printed, 31 May 1863", Journal Legislative Council, NSW 1883, Second Session, vol 25, p 194. National Library of Australia Record number 2269259 The commission found that in 1882, 524,415 sheep, 69,991 cattle, 31,269 pigs and 8,348 calves were slaughtered there.
On 28 June 1903 the new bridge to Pyrmont, designed by Percy Allan, Assistant Engineer for Bridges in the NSW Department of Public Works, opened.L. Coltheart and D. Fraser, Landmarks in Public Works: engineers and their works in New South Wales, 1884-1914, Hale and Iremonger, Sydney, 1987, p 72 Like the ground-breaking Pyrmont Bridge being built at the same time, the second Glebe Island Bridge was a swing bridge swivelling on a massive central stone pivot-pier with timber-trussed side spans. The two bridges "are among the structures standing as monuments" to Allan's skill. Under the Local Government Act 1906, the Glebe Island was added to the Municipality of Balmain.Souvenir to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Municipality of Balmain 1860-1910, p 35
Glebe Island was an early success for the Harbour trust. Wharves were built on three sides of the levelled rocky outcrop from 1912. The reconstructed fourth side was attached to the Rozelle shoreline as part of the extensive reclamation of Rozelle Bay and White Bay which had begun in the 1890s.Land and Property Information NSW, Central Mapping Authority Sheets U0945-32, U0945-33, note 33
Glebe Island became the site of a grain elevator and tall concrete silos, operated from 1921 by the Grain Elevators Board of NSW.Peninsula Observer: the Balmain Association Incorporated news sheet, number 210, February 1992 The 1958 Australian Encyclopaedia records that the bulk wheat terminal had a capacity of 7,500,000 bushels (202,500 tonnes)."Ports and Harbours", Australian Encyclopaedia, Angus and Robertson, Sydney 1958, vol 7, p 211 During World War II much of the island was commandeered for the main United States Army depot in Sydney.
Discussions for rejuvenation of the now disused site are ongoing. In 2008 it was suggested by the Government of New South Wales that a tennis centre could be created to host the Australian Open tournament after Melbourne's existing contract expired in 2016. This plan was short-lived and in 2009 it was announced that White Bay Cruise Terminal would be renovated at the same time as the Barangaroo development to become a cruise ship terminal to alleviate pressure on the existing facilities at Darling Harbour and Circular Quay. This is a controversial decision with the local community largely due to traffic concernsABC News online White Bay cruise ship opposition mounts, 29 January 2009. Accessed 14 January 2010. and has been called a "good short term solution" by industry groups as most cruise ships currently being constructed would not be able to fit underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge in order to reach the facility.Tourism and Transport Forum Australia White Bay: Good short term solution , press release, 21 December 2009. Accessed 14 January 2010 On New Year's Eve 2011–12, the large empty space, conveniently located with a good view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks, was used for a major televised concert with headliners Jamiroquai, Culture Club and Pet Shop Boys.Murada, Lauren 15 November 2011, Inner West Courier: New Year's Eve concert on Glebe Island announced for the Sydney Resolution Concert Series, accessed 2 January 2012. The old Glebe Island Bridge was included on the heritage list in 2013,NSW Heritage: "http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=4301666" lending more weight to calls for its retention as an active transport link.
In August 2013, construction began on an interim exhibition facility Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island, which opened on 15 February 2014. The venue offered 20,000 square metres of space for large trade and consumer exhibitions and operated throughout the redevelopment of the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. The site was cleared in 2017. In February 2018 Sydney Ports Authority announced plans for a major building materials handling complex.commercialrealestate:[6]
The area forms part of the New South Wales Government's Bays Precinct urban renewal program.
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