Melbourne Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melbourne Town Hall |
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Melbourne Town Hall, October 2023
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Town hall |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Location | 90-130 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°48′55″S 144°58′00″E / 37.815145°S 144.966777°E |
| Construction started | 1867 |
| Completed | 1887 |
| Owner | Council of the City of Melbourne |
| Official name | Melbourne Town Hall and Administration Building |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 9 October 1974 |
| Reference no. | H0001 |
| Heritage Overlay number | HO746 |
The Melbourne Town Hall is a very important building in Melbourne, Australia. It's where the City of Melbourne local government works. This means it's the main office for the Lord Mayor and city councillors.
You can find the Town Hall in the heart of Melbourne, at the corner of Swanston and Collins streets. The building was finished in 1887. It was listed as a special heritage site in 1974. People often use the Town Hall for fun events like concerts, festivals, plays, and exhibitions.
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History of the Town Hall
Melbourne officially became a town on December 13, 1842. Henry Condell was its first Mayor. But it took a while to build a proper Town Hall. The first one was finished in 1854. Work on it had stopped for a bit because of the Victorian gold rush.
A new, much grander Town Hall was planned. Its first stone was laid on November 29, 1867. This was done by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was visiting. The current Town Hall officially opened on August 11, 1870. There was a huge ball to celebrate. The Lord Mayor at the time, Samuel Amess, paid for the party himself.
Later, in 1887, another part was added to the front of the building. In 1908, Sir Henry Weedon laid the stone for an extra office building.
The Melbourne Town Hall has also been a place for early movies. The film Soldiers of the Cross was shown here on September 13, 1900. About four thousand people came to watch it!
In 1913, a man named James "Jimmy" Dewar started working at the Town Hall. He was from Scotland and had been a soldier. Jimmy worked there for 30 years. He lived with his wife and children in a special apartment at the top of the Hall. His children grew up playing in a small yard and even "pigeon-nesting" on the roof!
When Jimmy passed away in 1946, a newspaper called The Argus wrote about him. It said he was a friendly face at the Hall. He met many important people, from locals to royalty. These included Prince Edward and Prince Henry. Jimmy was known as a "friend, guide, and philosopher" to many Lord Mayors. Once, the famous opera singer Dame Nellie Melba performed there. She wanted to sing an extra song, but her piano was already packed. Jimmy lent her his piano from his apartment so she could perform!
On February 1, 1925, a fire badly damaged the Town Hall. The main hall and a huge pipe organ were destroyed. But the building was rebuilt and made even bigger. It lost some of its fancy original designs.
In 1964, the famous band The Beatles visited the Melbourne Town Hall. Thousands of excited teenagers gathered outside to see them. When The Beatles came out, the crowd cheered and screamed very loudly!
Building Design and Art
The Town Hall was designed by a well-known local architect named Joseph Reed. He also designed other famous buildings in Melbourne. These include the State Library of Victoria and the Royal Exhibition Building. The Town Hall is built in a style called Second Empire.
On top of the building is Prince Alfred's Tower. It's named after the Duke who laid the first stone. The tower has a large clock, which started working on August 31, 1874. The clock was a gift to the city. Its longest copper hand is over a meter long and weighs almost 9 kilograms!
The building's outside, especially its Venetian Renaissance style, was recognized as important in 1964. Inside, there are special murals painted by Napier Waller in 1927. These large paintings are also very important. They were painted after the fire in 1925. Waller designed them to create a sense of rhythm.
The Grand Organ
The main hall inside the Town Hall has a truly amazing concert organ. It's huge, with 147 different sounds and 9,568 pipes! This organ is very special because it's the largest and most complete pipe organ in all of Australia. You can play it from a fixed keyboard near the pipes. Or, there's a second keyboard that can be moved closer to the audience for concerts. This organ is perfect for playing big, dramatic music.
History of the Organ
The first organ was built in 1872. But it was destroyed in the 1925 fire. A new organ was put in place in 1929. Later, between 1995 and 2001, this organ was rebuilt and made even bigger. This big project cost $4.5 million. The rebuild added new parts and the movable keyboard.
See also
- List of Town Halls in Melbourne
- List of Mayors and Lord Mayors of Melbourne
- Architecture of Melbourne
- List of heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne
- Victorian architecture
