People, exhibits and prizewinners at key intercolonial and international exhibitions 1854-1889, and the buildings that housed Victorian exhibitions.
The building for the Melbourne Exhibition of 1854 was at the corner of William Street and Little Lonsdale Street, where the Royal Mint building (Hellenic Museum) now stands. The 1854 building also housed the Victorian Exhibition in 1861. The architects and designers were Thomas and Samuel Henden Merrett.
Melbourne’s first Exhibition Building Blog:
The greater number of exhibits displayed in the 1861 Exhibition created the need for more space, so an apartment eighty feet by forty feet was added to the building:
The first Exhibition of 1854 [Melbourne, Vic.], IAN15/08/88/Supp/1
Melbourne's second exhibition buildings, the Great Hall and the Rotunda, were built for the Intercolonial Exhibition of 1866–67 at the back of the Public Library, where the La Trobe (Dome) Reading Room of the State Library of Victoria now stands.
You can watch a virtual reconstruction of these buildings on the State Library's website. The architects were Reed and Barnes. The interiors were designed by Edward La Trobe Bateman.
Two more exhibitions were held at the Public Library site, the Victorian Exhibition of 1872 and the Victorian Intercolonial Exhibition of 1875.
The exhibition buildings were designed to be temporary, and were demolished in about 1910.
Search our catalogue to find many more digitised images of the buildings, including an architectural drawing, and images showing the construction process and interior.
Great Hall & Rotunda at the State Library. From the Evolution of the Library video
Barnes, F. J., & Reed, J. (1866). Melbourne Public Library. Proposed extension for Intercolonial Exhibition. Longitudinal Section - Great Hall : Elevation - Great Hall H2010.69/17
![Archtectural plan of proposed extension for Intercolonial Exhibition. [North half ground floor plan] H2010.69/14](https://libapps-au.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/accounts/2097/images/H2010_69_14a.jpg)
Barnes, F. J., & Reed, J. (1866). Melbourne Public Library. Proposed extension for Intercolonial Exhibition. [North half ground floor plan] H2010.69/14
Calvert, S. (1866). The works at the Intercolonial Exhibition Building, Melbourne. IMP27/08/66/317
The current Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens was built for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880/81. It also housed the 1888/89 Centennial International Exhibition. The building is on the Victorian Heritage Register and also on the World Heritage Register. A brief history of the building can be found in the Encyclopedia of Melbourne.
According to the Official record pages 141-148, extra space was needed to house the exhibits for the 1888 exhibition, and temporary annexes were constructed.
Moorhead, E, 'Visit to the Melbourne Exhibition Building', Victorian Historical Magazine, Issue 98, Volume 25, No. 2, June 1953, pp. 67-71.
Gives brief information about the building and its use for the 1880 and 1888 exhibitions
The book Victorian icon: the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne provides a comprehensive history of the building and its uses.
Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, 1888: bird's-eye view of the buildings, A/S09/08/88/120
See this video of the Great Exhibition Hall and Rotunda, built behind Queen's Hall, were used for major exhibitions until the Royal Exhibition Building was completed for the 1880/1881 exhibition.
The Hall also housed the Technological Museum and the National Gallery. It was demolished in 1899.
The Rotunda was demolished in 1908 to make way for the construction of the Domed Reading Room.
Exhibition Street was originally called Stephen Street. Stephen Street had a dubious reputation and it was hoped to restore it to respectability by renaming the portion north of Collins Street to mark the International Exhibition of 1880.
The change was not made official until 1898 with both names in use in the 1880s and 1890s. The southern part was renamed in 1963. For further information see page 29 of Melbourne street life: the itinerary of our days.
