This 1898 sandstone building began life as a Sydney produce market. The market closed at the end of World War I. By the 1950s the building was threatened with demolition. Refurbished at a cost of over $75 million, the QVB re-opened in 1986 as a shopping gallery with more than 190 shops. The building is adorned with sweeping staircases, enormous stain glass windows, statues of Queen Victoria and her dog Islay, as well as a 1-tonne clock suspended from the ceiling. Every hour the clock sounds and miniature figurines emerge from the clock, depicting scenes from the lives of English monarchs. On the basement level there is an underground connection to Town Hall Arcade and to the malls on Pitt Street