diff --git a/base/linalg/diagonal.jl b/base/linalg/diagonal.jl
index 02ed30e91bb7c..383c6761eb3a7 100644
--- a/base/linalg/diagonal.jl
+++ b/base/linalg/diagonal.jl
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ Diagonal(A::Matrix) = Diagonal(diag(A))
 size(D::Diagonal) = (length(D.diag),length(D.diag))
 size(D::Diagonal,d::Integer) = d<1 ? error("dimension out of range") : (d<=2 ? length(D.diag) : 1)
 
-convert{T}(::Type{Matrix{T}}, D::Diagonal{T}) = diagm(D.diag)
-convert{T}(::Type{SymTridiagonal{T}}, D::Diagonal{T}) = SymTridiagonal(D.diag,zeros(T,length(D.diag)-1))
-convert{T}(::Type{Tridiagonal{T}}, D::Diagonal{T}) = Tridiagonal(zeros(T,length(D.diag)-1),D.diag,zeros(T,length(D.diag)-1))
-
 full(D::Diagonal) = diagm(D.diag)
 getindex(D::Diagonal, i::Integer, j::Integer) = i == j ? D.diag[i] : zero(eltype(D.diag))
 
diff --git a/base/linalg/special.jl b/base/linalg/special.jl
index 4a0b62a127a02..4a2124292d3f8 100644
--- a/base/linalg/special.jl
+++ b/base/linalg/special.jl
@@ -1,5 +1,74 @@
 #Methods operating on different special matrix types
 
+#Interconversion between special matrix types
+import Base.convert
+convert{T}(::Type{Bidiagonal}, A::Diagonal{T})=Bidiagonal(A.diag, zeros(T, size(A.diag,1)-1), true)
+convert{T}(::Type{SymTridiagonal}, A::Diagonal{T})=SymTridiagonal(A.diag, zeros(T, size(A.diag,1)-1))
+convert{T}(::Type{Tridiagonal}, A::Diagonal{T})=Tridiagonal(zeros(T, size(A.diag,1)-1), A.diag, zeros(T, size(A.diag,1)-1))
+convert(::Type{Triangular}, A::Union(Diagonal, Bidiagonal, SymTridiagonal, Tridiagonal))=Triangular(full(A))
+convert(::Type{Matrix}, D::Diagonal) = diagm(D.diag)
+
+function convert(::Type{Diagonal}, A::Union(Bidiagonal, SymTridiagonal))
+    all(A.ev .== 0) || throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as Diagonal"))
+    Diagonal(A.dv)
+end
+
+function convert(::Type{SymTridiagonal}, A::Bidiagonal)
+    all(A.ev .== 0) || throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as SymTridiagonal"))
+    SymTridiagonal(A.dv, A.ev)
+end
+
+convert{T}(::Type{Tridiagonal}, A::Bidiagonal{T})=Tridiagonal(A.isupper?zeros(T, size(A.dv,1)-1):A.ev, A.dv, A.isupper?A.ev:zeros(T, size(A.dv,1)-1))
+
+function convert(::Type{Bidiagonal}, A::SymTridiagonal)
+    all(A.ev .== 0) || throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as Bidiagonal"))
+    Bidiagonal(A.dv, A.ev, true)
+end
+
+function convert(::Type{Diagonal}, A::Tridiagonal)
+    all(A.dl .== 0) && all(A.du .== 0) || throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as Diagonal"))
+    Diagonal(A.d)
+end
+
+function convert(::Type{Bidiagonal}, A::Tridiagonal)
+    if all(A.dl .== 0) return Bidiagonal(A.d, A.du, true)
+    elseif all(A.du .== 0) return Bidiagonal(A.d, A.dl, true)
+    else throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as Bidiagonal"))
+    end
+end
+
+function convert(::Type{SymTridiagonal}, A::Tridiagonal)
+    all(A.dl .== A.du) || throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as SymTridiagonal"))
+    SymTridiagonal(A.d, A.dl)
+end
+
+function convert(::Type{Diagonal}, A::Triangular)
+    full(A) == diagm(diag(A)) || throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as Diagonal"))
+    Diagonal(diag(A))
+end
+
+function convert(::Type{Bidiagonal}, A::Triangular)
+    fA = full(A)
+    if fA == diagm(diag(A)) + diagm(diag(fA, 1), 1)
+        return Bidiagonal(diag(A), diag(fA,1), true)
+    elseif fA == diagm(diag(A)) + diagm(diag(fA, -1), -1)
+        return Bidiagonal(diag(A), diag(fA,-1), true)
+    else
+        throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as Bidiagonal"))
+    end
+end
+
+convert(::Type{SymTridiagonal}, A::Triangular) = convert(SymTridiagonal, convert(Tridiagonal, A))
+
+function convert(::Type{Tridiagonal}, A::Triangular)
+    fA = full(A)
+    if fA == diagm(diag(A)) + diagm(diag(fA, 1), 1) + diagm(diag(fA, -1), -1) 
+        return Tridiagonal(diag(fA, -1), diag(A), diag(fA,1))
+    else
+        throw(ArgumentError("Matrix cannot be represented as Tridiagonal"))
+    end
+end
+
 #Constructs two method definitions taking into account (assumed) commutativity
 # e.g. @commutative f{S,T}(x::S, y::T) = x+y is the same is defining
 #     f{S,T}(x::S, y::T) = x+y
diff --git a/test/linalg.jl b/test/linalg.jl
index 8553d6bf2a63b..a3bcf82daadf9 100644
--- a/test/linalg.jl
+++ b/test/linalg.jl
@@ -718,6 +718,41 @@ for relty in (Float16, Float32, Float64, BigFloat), elty in (relty, Complex{relt
     end
 end
 
+#Test interconversion between special matrix types
+using Base.Test
+
+N=12
+A=Diagonal([1:N]*1.0)
+for newtype in [Diagonal, Bidiagonal, SymTridiagonal, Tridiagonal, Triangular, Matrix]
+    @test full(convert(newtype, A)) == full(A)
+end
+
+for isupper in (true, false)
+    A=Bidiagonal([1:N]*1.0, [1:N-1]*1.0, isupper)
+    for newtype in [Bidiagonal, Tridiagonal, Triangular, Matrix]
+        @test full(convert(newtype, A)) == full(A)
+    end
+    A=Bidiagonal([1:N]*1.0, [1:N-1]*0.0, isupper) #morally Diagonal
+    for newtype in [Diagonal, Bidiagonal, SymTridiagonal, Tridiagonal, Triangular, Matrix]
+        @test full(convert(newtype, A)) == full(A)
+    end
+end
+
+A=SymTridiagonal([1:N]*1.0, [1:N-1]*1.0)
+for newtype in [Tridiagonal, Matrix]
+    @test full(convert(newtype, A)) == full(A)
+end
+
+A=Tridiagonal([1:N-1]*0.0, [1:N]*1.0, [1:N-1]*0.0) #morally Diagonal
+for newtype in [Diagonal, Bidiagonal, SymTridiagonal, Triangular, Matrix]
+    @test full(convert(newtype, A)) == full(A)
+end
+
+A=Triangular(full(Diagonal([1:N]*1.0))) #morally Diagonal
+for newtype in [Diagonal, Bidiagonal, SymTridiagonal, Triangular, Matrix]
+    @test full(convert(newtype, A)) == full(A)
+end
+
 # Test gglse
 for elty in (Float32, Float64, Complex64, Complex128)
     A = convert(Array{elty, 2}, [1 1 1 1; 1 3 1 1; 1 -1 3 1; 1 1 1 3; 1 1 1 -1])