Monument Street

Monument Street is a major road in Central Hurstville. It runs from it's start at Cot-Lan Bay, through the city centre, and then joins the Strateené Highway.

History
It is believed that the road was first built between 1760 and 1770, and was the only way to get from State Harbour to Winstan Lake. The first mention of the road comes from an early map, drawn in 1778.

By the 1850s, Monument Street had become the city centre, and many shops and businesses lined the street.

The first motor car ever built was constructed in a factory on Monument Street and it's first trip was on Monument Street in 1879.

In 1895, the original gravel road was replaced with a tarmac road.

In 1938, the Starcrest Bridge connected to Monument Street, the final stage of the Strateené Highway.

In 1941, a Leviranese submarine entered State Harbour and fired a torpedo at the city centre. It hit the ground and exploded just a few metres from Monument Street. The location of the bomb is know known as Bombsite Plaza, and is located on Lakeside Drive.

Monument Street was a major location of the skyscraper boom in the early 20th century.

In 1961, Monument Street became home to the world's tallest building, Whitestone Tower. It was surpassed in 1965 by Orl Tower.

In 1971, Monument Street was again home to the world's tallest building, the Willis Tower.

The Willis Tower was not surpassed until 2006, when Quartz Tower passed it during construction.

In 2016, Quartz Tower collapsed onto Monument Street and destroyed several buildings.

From 2016 until 2018, the Willis Tower was again the tallest building in the world, following the structural failure of Quartz Tower.

Quartz Tower was rebuilt, and became the tallest building in the world. This lasted two years, until it was surpassed by Knemphis 601 in 2020.

Geography
The road originally curved around Knemphis Hill and Monument Hill. When both hills were flattened in the late 1800s, the road was straightened.