Royal Exhibition Center (Melbourne)

The building was designed by architect Joseph Reed , who also authored the Melbourne City Hall and the Victoria State Library . The construction of the Royal Exhibition Center was completed in 1880 for the opening of the Melbourne International Exhibition. The building includes a large hall with an area of ​​over 12,000 m² and many smaller rooms. It is believed that the cathedral of Florence served as an example for the famous dome of the building.

The most important event in the history of the Royal Exhibition Center was the opening of the first building of the Parliament of Australia on May 9, 1901 and the declaration of independence of the Commonwealth of Australia. After the official opening ceremony, the federal government moved to the Victoria Parliament Building , while the Victoria government was moved to the Royal Exhibition Center, where it remained for the next 26 years.

After that, the exhibition center was used for various purposes. Thanks to its decor, the building became known in the 1940s as the “White Elephant” ^[1] . In the 1950s , plans were discussed for the destruction of the building and the construction of new offices in its place ^[2] . One of the extensions, which then housed the Melbourne Aquarium , burned down in 1953 . The large ballroom was dismantled in 1979 . After that, a wave arose in the city to protect the main building and transform it into a museum.

In 1984 , when Queen Elizabeth II visited Melbourne, she awarded the exhibition center the title of "Royal", which served as an impetus for the beginning of the restoration of the interior of the building ^[3] .

In 1996, then- Prime Minister Victoria Jeff Kenneth proposed the construction of a new state Melbourne Museum on a site adjacent to the building. The location of the museum in close proximity to the building caused strong opposition from the Labor Party , the City Hall of Melbourne and the urban community. It was as a result of the struggle to preserve the Royal Exhibition Center in its original form that the idea came up to nominate the building for the assignment of UNESCO World Heritage status . However, this idea did not receive support until the victory of the Labor Party in the 1999 elections in Victoria .

In 2004, the Royal Exhibition Center and its adjacent park were granted UNESCO World Heritage status . It was the first building in Australia to receive this status.

The Royal Exhibition Center is still used for various exhibitions, such as the annual Melbourne International Flower Exhibition. Private excursions from the Melbourne Museum are also held here. The exhibition center is also used for examinations by educational institutions such as the University of Melbourne , the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology , the Melbourne High School and the McRoberts Women's High School .

Recently, however, the building is not the largest city center for exhibitions and conferences. An activity center of this kind has shifted to the newly built for these purposes Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Center , located on the south bank of the Yarra River .

• Australian Government. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, Melbourne. (eng.)
• Victoria Museum (eng.)

• Australian architecture