Drawing of the Royal Exhibition Building, Nicholson Street, Carlton C.1888
29th May 1880 - The Great Hall of Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building was opened to the public for the first time.
The Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens is one of the world's oldest exhibition pavilions and an excellent example of the magnificent architecture of the time. It has featured strongly in significant Australian historical events. Designed by Joseph Reed, of the firm Reed and Barnes, the building features a round-arched architectural style, the dome of which was influenced by Brunelleschi’s 15th-century cathedral in Florence, Italy.
The foundation stone for the Royal Exhibition Building was laid by then-governor of Victoria, Sir George Bowen, in February 1879. The Great Hall is a major feature of the Royal Exhibition Building. Made of brick, it is set on a bluestone base, and has long central naves, with four triumphal entrance porticoes, one on each side. The Great Hall was opened to the public for the first time on 29 May 1880, several months prior to the first International Exhibition, which opened in October 1880. This exhibition showcased the cultural, industrial and technological achievements of over 30 nations, allowing Australians a first-hand taste of overseas. The Great Hall remains the only surviving Great Hall that once housed a 19th-century international exhibition, and which is still used for exhibitions today. In 1888, the Hall was the site of another major event when it housed the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, celebrating the centenary of European settlement in Australia