34-696: The Melbourne Centennial Exhibition was organised to celebrate a century of European settlement in Australia. The Exhibition Building , constructed in 1880 for the Melbourne International Exhibition , was extended and reused. The Centennial Exhibition focused on Australia itself, and emphasised music and painting that attracted many visitors. However the Exhibition was not recognised by the Bureau of International Expositions as
68-464: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Royal Exhibition Building The Royal Exhibition Building is a UNESCO World Heritage -listed building in Melbourne , Victoria, Australia , built in 1879–1880 as part of the international exhibition movement, which presented over 50 exhibitions between 1851 and 1915 around the globe. The building sits on approximately 26 hectares (64 acres),
102-400: A " world's fair ". Parer & Higgins Co. paid £1250 to operate the bar and light refreshments, one of only three areas where the sale of alcohol was permitted. Dora Elizabeth Armitage was at the Exhibition, where she won a medal for her typing. Her testimonial about her Calligraph typewriter was used by its manufacturers in their advertising. This Melbourne -related article is
136-566: A major project to restore the former German Garden of the Western Forecourt. The area had been covered by asphalt in the 1950s for car parking. In 2018, The Australian Government granted $ 20 million for heritage restoration works to protect and promote the Royal Exhibition Building. The Australian Department of Environment and Energy, along with Heritage Victoria , Creative Victoria and Museums Victoria oversaw
170-463: A visit to Victoria, Princess Alexandra unveiled a plaque which commemorated both the opening of the new mirror-glass "Centennial Hall", and the centenary of the building. She also unveiled a second plaque commemorating the bestowal of the title "Royal" on the building by Her Majesty the Queen. Following the outcry over the ballroom demolition, and the appointment of new Trustees and a new Chair in 1983,
204-478: Is 150 metres (490 ft) long and is surrounded by four city streets. It is situated at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens , flanked by Victoria, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district . It was built to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880–81, and then hosted the even larger Centennial International Exhibition in 1888. It
238-569: Is noted for building Scots' Church, Melbourne , St Patrick's Cathedral , Eastern Hill, Menzies Hotel in William Street, Melbourne (1857) and Presbyterian Ladies' College , East Melbourne (1874). His grandest accomplishment was the Royal Exhibition Building , which became the first Australian building to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. In 1878 he bought land outside Lilydale on which he opened and operated
272-400: Is still in beautiful condition, crowned by an octagonal drum and dome rising 68 metres, and 18.3 metres across. The dome was formed using cast iron and timber frame and has a double shell. At the crossing, windows in the drum of the dome bring in sunlight for a bright open space. The interior is painted in the colour scheme of 1901, with murals and the words "Victoria Welcomes All Nations" under
306-702: Is the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre , which is in Southbank to the south of the Melbourne central business district. David Mitchell (builder) David Mitchell (16 February 1829 – 25 March 1916) was a Scottish - Australian builder, responsible for Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building. He was the father of Dame Nellie Melba. Born in Forfarshire, Scotland, in 1829, David Mitchell emigrated to Australia in 1852. Mitchell
340-550: The Australian Exhibition of Women's Work . During the 1919 Spanish flu epidemic , the building was used as an influenza hospital. As it decayed, it became known derogatively by locals as The White Elephant in the 1940s and by the 1950s, like many buildings in Melbourne of that time it was earmarked for replacement by office blocks. In 1948, members of the Melbourne City Council put this to
374-727: The Melbourne Town Hall , the State Library of Victoria , and the Baroque style gardens. The Royal Exhibition Building was the largest design completed by Reed and Barnes. According to Reed, the eclectic design was inspired by many sources. Composed of brick, timber, steel, and slate, the Exhibition Building is representative of the Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance styles. The dome
SECTION 10
#1732772946794408-484: The 1888 Exhibition, over 100,000 people paid to enjoy the views. The promenade remained a central feature of Melbourne life until it was closed in the 1920s for structural repairs, which unfortunately never eventuated. After being closed for nearly a century, the Dome Promenade was officially reopened on 28 October 2022, as part of the $ 20 Million heritage restoration works to the building. The first tour of
442-473: The 1901 opening. On 1 July 2004, the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens was granted listing as a World Heritage Site , the first building in Australia to be granted this status. The heritage listing states that "The Royal Exhibition Building is the only major extant nineteenth-century exhibition building in Australia. It is one of the few major nineteenth-century exhibition buildings to survive worldwide." In October 2009, Museum Victoria embarked upon
476-420: The 1st October 1980, it was announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had conferred the title of "Royal" to the Exhibition Building. It received restoration throughout the 1990s and in 2004 became the first building in Australia to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, being one of the last remaining major 19th-century exhibition buildings in the world. It is the world's most complete surviving site from
510-678: The Australian Parliament. This was held in the same site as the opening of the first Parliament of Australia exactly 100 years earlier. This event commemorated the Centenary of that event specifically, and the Centenary of Federation more generally. The joint sitting was addressed by the Governor-General, Sir William Deane . A painting by artist Robert Hannaford was commissioned to capture this 2001 event, with his artwork echoing Tom Roberts' Big Picture that captured
544-631: The Cave Hill limestone and marble quarry. The business worked in tandem with his building company and was a great success, operating as the David Mitchell Estate Ltd after his death until it was sold to a Belgian conglomerate in 2002. It finally ceased operations in 2015. David Mitchell died on 25 March 1916 and is buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery . His eldest daughter, born Helen Porter Mitchell,
578-675: The International Exhibition movement 1851–1914. It sits adjacent to the Melbourne Museum and is the largest item in Museum Victoria's collection. Today, the building hosts various exhibitions and other events and is closely tied with events at the Melbourne Museum. The Royal Exhibition Building was designed by the architect Joseph Reed of Reed and Barnes architecture, who also designed
612-725: The Melbourne Centennial Exhibition in 1888, celebrating a century of European settlement in Australia. The most significant event to occur in the Exhibition Building was the opening of the first Parliament of Australia on 9 May 1901, following the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January. After the official opening, the Federal Parliament moved to the Victorian State Parliament House , while
646-524: The Royal Exhibition Building has a rich history as one of Melbourne’s most iconic tourist attractions. During the late 1800s, it was the go-to spot for visitors seeking panoramic views of the growing city and its new suburbs as there were very few other tall buildings to block the sweeping vistas in all directions. The promenade was particularly popular during the Melbourne International Exhibitions of 1880 and 1888. For
680-819: The Victorian Parliament moved to the Exhibition Building for the next 26 years. On 3 September 1901, the Countess of Hopetoun , wife of the Governor-General , announced the winners of a competition to design the Australian National Flag . A large flag, 5.5 metres by 11 metres, was unfurled and flown over the dome of the Royal Exhibition Building. In 1902, the building hosted the Australian Federal International Exhibition and in 1907
714-581: The carpark to the north, which involved the demolition of the 1960s annexes in 1997–98. The biennial Melbourne Art Fair took place at the Royal Exhibition Building from 1988 to 2014. The location of the Melbourne Museum close to the Exhibition Building site was strongly opposed by the Victorian State Labor Party , the Melbourne City Council and some in the local community. Due to the community campaign opposing
SECTION 20
#1732772946794748-508: The dome surviving from 1888. In 1888, electric lighting was installed for the Centennial International Exhibition, making it one of the first in the world that was accessible during night time. The interior decorations changed between the two exhibitions of 1880 and 1888. In 1880, the walls were left bare and windows and door joinery coloured green. In 1888, walls were painted for the first time. The decoration
782-462: The heritage of the building began to be seen as important as providing modern space for exhibitions. The first conservation assessment of the building was undertaken by Alan Willingham in 1987, and over the following decades the Great hall was progressively renovated and restored. In 1996, the then Premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett , proposed the location and construction of Melbourne's State Museum in
816-482: The history of the Royal Exhibition Building and Melbourne. Due to the buildings age, heritage experts suggest further restoration works to the building are needed, both internally and externally. The works are predicted to cost around 50 million dollars. As of September 2024, no further funding has been allocated by the Australian Government or Victorian Government. The Dome Promenade at
850-497: The museum development, John Brumby , then State opposition leader, with the support of the Melbourne City Council, proposed the nomination of the Royal Exhibition Building for world heritage listing. The world heritage nomination did not progress until the election of the Victorian State Labor Party as the new government in 1999. On 9 May 2001, the Royal Exhibition Building hosted a special joint sitting of
884-524: The recent Covid-19 pandemic, the building was used as a mass vaccination centre, operated by St Vincent's Hospital. The Royal Exhibition Building is used as an exam hall for the University of Melbourne , Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology , Melbourne High School , Nossal High School , Mac.Robertson Girls' High School and Suzanne Cory High School . The building is no longer Melbourne's largest commercial exhibition centre. The modern alternative
918-464: The reopened Dome Promenade, available to the public ran on the 29th October 2022. Museums Victoria are the custodians of the Royal Exhibition Building. Daily tours of the Dome Promenade can be booked on their website or at Melbourne Museum. The Royal Exhibition Building is used to this day as an exhibition venue for various festivals and fairs such as Melbourne Fashion Festival , Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and Brickvention . During
952-461: The various internal and external projects that were all completed by 2022. Externally, sections of the facade underwent conservation works. Internally, renovations included restoring the timber flooring and some old staircases, which were replaced by much safer stairs made from concrete and steel. The basement also underwent restoration works and has now been turned into a curatorial exhibition space with various items on display telling
986-526: The vote and it was narrowly decided not to demolish the building. The wing of the building which once housed Melbourne Aquarium burnt down in 1953. It was a venue for the 1956 Summer Olympics , hosting the basketball , weightlifting , wrestling , and the fencing part of the modern pentathlon competitions. During the 1940s and 1950s, the building remained a venue for regular weekly dances. Over some decades of this period it also held boat shows, car shows and other regular home and building industry shows. It
1020-544: Was also used during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s for State High School Matriculation and for the Victorian Certificate of Education examinations, among its various other purposes. The western annexe was demolished in the 1970s. The last remaining original annex, the grand ballroom, was demolished amid controversy in 1979. It was replaced with a new building on the same footprint providing more exhibition space, clad in mirror glass, in 1980. On 1 October 1980 during
1054-756: Was by interior designer John Ross Anderson. It was built by David Mitchell , who also built Scots' Church and St Patrick's Cathedral . He was also the father of the famed soprano Dame Nellie Melba , who sang at the opening of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra in 1927. Mitchell was a member of the Council of the Royal Agricultural society and also the Builders and Contractor's association. The foundation stone
Melbourne Centennial Exhibition - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-476: Was laid by Victorian governor George Bowen on 19 February 1879 and it was completed in just 18 months, opening on October 1, 1880, as the Melbourne International Exhibition . The building consisted of a Great Hall of over 12,000 square metres, flanking lower annexes to the north on the east and west sides, and many temporary galleries between. In the 1880s, the building hosted two major International Exhibitions: The Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880 and
1122-543: Was modeled on the Florence Cathedral , while the main pavilions were influenced by the style of Rundbogenstil and several buildings from Normandy, Caen and Paris. The building has the scale of the French Beaux Arts , with a cruciform plan in the shape of a Latin cross, with long nave-like wings symmetrically placed east–west about the central dome, and a shorter wing to the north. The Great Hall
1156-518: Was then chosen as the site for the Federation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 . The building is representative of the financial wealth and pride that the city of Melbourne and state of Victoria had in the 1870s. Throughout the 20th century smaller sections and wings of the building were subject to demolition and fire; however, the main building, known as the Great Hall, survived. On
#793206