From a Palace of Industry to a place for Dog and Cat Lovers

[AdamGT]

The Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia is a beautiful old building, steeped in history and definitely deserving of its status. It was originally built in 1879-1880 as a ‘Palace of Industry’ to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880–81. During this exhibition it displayed the technologies and achievements of the mechanised age and its huge temporary halls housed exhibits from more than thirty nations and included displays of pianos, typewriters, lawnmowers, electric lights, carriages and decorative homewares. This exhibition was the greatest show the city had ever seen, and it attracted over one million visitors; it changed public taste in Melbourne.

Caption: The Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia (Local Guide: @AdamGT )

In 1888, it was the venue for the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition to celebrate a century of European settlement in Australia. Then on 9 May, 1901 it was the venue for the opening of the first Parliament of Australia and subsequently, for some 25 years up until 1927, it was the venue for the Victorian Parliament. In 1919 it became an emergency hospital for influenza epidemic victims and during the Second World War it was used by the Royal Australian Air Force.

Caption: The ornate internal architecture of the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia (Local Guide: @AdamGT )

It’s had various uses since then including hosting a number of events during the 1956 Summer Olympics as well as the venue for State High School Matriculation and for the Victorian Certificate of Education examinations. It also once housed the Melbourne Aquarium and was regularly used for weekly dances in Melbourne. In 1981 it was the venue for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. It has also been the venue for many boat shows, car shows and other regular home and building industry shows including the annual Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, the annual Dog Show and the annual Cat Lovers Show.

Caption: The ornate internal architecture of the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia (Local Guide: @AdamGT )

Caption: The ornate internal architecture of the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia (Local Guide: @AdamGT )

I love it’s grandness but while the building makes a grand overall impression, I also love the small details and ornate architecture. If you’re on tour and visiting Melbourne, then the Royal Exhibition Building is well worth a visit

[OliverKIWI]

Great post with history and photos! If there is an animal show, that’d be really awesome. Love the architecture - would you say it classism style? @AdamGT

[SabbirShawon]

awesome photography @AdamGT

[vijayparadkar]

Hi @AdamGT

Thanks for this beautiful post along with some nice shots.

The internal architecture of the Royal Exhibition Building looks amazing.

[Austinelewex]

Awesome Architecture @AdamGT

Thanks for sharing this with us here on connect.

Best regards

[MoniDi]

Hello @AdamGT ,

Thanks for sharing this beautiful place. The building kind of reminds me of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna although I haven’t been in Australia. I hope that some day I will be able to visit it. Your post was very informative and I learned some things from it, thanks for the details.

[Wei929]

@AdamGT @Thank you so much for your sharing and photos are amazingly beautiful

[Thai_Ngh]

Thanks @AdamGT for sharing interesting photos and information!

[Silvi]

Gracias @AdamGT por compartir la increíble y basta historia de éste palacio. Es un lugar impresionante, las fotos lo describen tan bien como tus palabras. En la actualidad, a quién pertenece éste sitio?

Saludos.

Silvi

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[TerryPG]

I love the architectural photos @AdamGT . Great pics.

[AdamGT]

I’m pleased that you like the post and photos @OliverKIWI . Regarding the architectural style of the building, it was designed and built in the Victorian Era (1851-1901) so I think it’s style is very much of Victorian Architecture which included a mix of different styles including Gothic revival, Italianate and Romanesque styles. Its Victorian Heritage listing, describes it as Free Classical and along with the gardens in which it sites, it is “representative of the international exhibition movement style, based on a Beaux-Arts axial scheme with the building as a palace, primarily in the German Rundbogenstil and Italian Renaissance style for which its designer Joseph Reed, won the competition for the building design. The soaring dome, based on the Florence Cathedral dome designed by Brunelleschi, is a landmark on the Melbourne skyline.” So it seems that the eclectic design was inspired by many sources.

[AdamGT]

Thank you @SabbirShawon I’m glad you like the photography!

[AdamGT]

I’m glad that you like the post and photos @vijayparadkar . It’s an exciting building to see and photograph, there are many beautiful aspects of the building, both inside and out, and I took many photos but only show a few here to share some idea of what this Royal building and its garden setting looks like.

[AdamGT]

Thank you for your comment @Austinelewex . Yes I totally agree with you the architecture of this magnificent building is amazing. What’s also amazing is that the building has been so well preserved and still stands intact today. In fact, it’s the world’s most complete surviving venue from the International Exhibition movement of 1851–1915, world exhibitions which were held in places including Paris, New York, Vienna, Kingston (Jamaica), Santiago (Chile) and Calcutta.

[AdamGT]

Hi @MoniDi

While I’ve been to Vienna I haven’t been to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien but after your reply I checked out some photos of it and can certainly see the strong similarity between it and the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. As I mentioned in my post, the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne was originally built as the venue for the Melbourne International Exhibition held in 1880–81. Interestingly, the 1873 the World Exhibition was held in VIenna’s Prater which is only a walking distance from the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. I know that you will enjoy your visit to Australia!

[MSulaiman]

@AdamGT astonished to see such a masterpiece of architect in 1880s.

Your photography is awesome. Kudos.

Cheers

[AdamGT]

Hi @Wei929

Thank you for your comment and I’m really pleased that you like my post and photos.

[AdamGT]

HI @Thai_Ngh

I’m so happy that you like the post and photos and found these interesting.

[AdamGT]

Hi @SilvyC

Thanks for your comment and I’m really pleased that you like the post and photos and I very much like how you said “the photos describe it as well as your words”. The building today while still used as a major exhibition venue, is a museum piece itself and in fact, it is the largest museum item in Museum Victoria’s collection so my guess is that it is owned by Museum Victoria.

[AdamGT]

Hi @TerryPG

Thanks for your comment and I’m pleased that you also like the architectural photos!