Heidelberg Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heidelberg Town Hall |
|
|---|---|
The civic building in Ivanhoe
|
|
| Alternative names | The Centre Ivanhoe |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Ivanhoe |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°45′56″S 145°02′44″E / 37.765571°S 145.045474°E |
| Completed | 1937 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Peck & Kemter |
Heidelberg Town Hall is an important public building located in Ivanhoe, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It's also known today as The Centre Ivanhoe.
This building was opened in April 1937. It was designed by architects Peck & Kemter, along with A.C. Leith & Bartlett. They created it for the local government, which was then called the Heidelberg City Council. The design was inspired by the Hilversum Town Hall in the Netherlands.
Heidelberg Town Hall is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. This means it's a very important historical building in Victoria. Experts describe it as a great example of the "Art Deco Moderne" style from the time between the two World Wars. The architects even won an award for their design in 1939!
Fun Times at The ’Berg
After the town hall opened, it became a popular spot for fun events. The local council hired Bill Glennon to organize public dances. These dances happened every Wednesday and Saturday night.
A big 18-piece band played music in the Great Hall. There were also two smaller rooms downstairs, called the Streeton and Condor rooms. Each of these rooms had different music styles. The Streeton room played "old-time" music, while the Condor Room was for Jazz fans.
These dances were super popular! Free buses even brought people from other northern suburbs of Melbourne. On a Saturday night, more than 2,000 people would come to dance. Many local people still remember meeting their future partners at these dances, which they called "The ’Berg." The dances continued to be a big hit until the 1970s.
