Metropolitan Meat Market facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Meat Market |
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Metropolitan Meat Market with the Metropolitan Hotel on the corner
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| Former names | Metropolitan Meat Market, Meat Market Craft Centre |
| General information | |
| Address | 5 Blackwood St, North Melbourne |
| Town or city | Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Completed | 1880 |
| Owner | City of Melbourne and Creative Victoria |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | George Johnson |
The Metropolitan Meat Market, often called Meat Market, is a famous building in Melbourne, Australia. It used to be a place where meat was sold, and it also includes the Metropolitan Hotel. George Johnson designed it, and it was finished in 1874. Since 1973, it has been listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, which means it's an important historical building.
Today, the Meat Market is a busy arts venue run by the City of Melbourne. Each year, it hosts many cultural events. You can find theatre, circus shows, dance performances, and even food and wine festivals here. It's also a venue for big events like the Melbourne Fringe Festival and Yirramboi First Nations Festival.
Contents
History of the Meat Market
The Meat Market building was built in 1880. It was first planned as a huge trading space for meat sellers in the city. The market stopped selling meat in 1974.
The building was empty for a few years. Then, in 1977, the government bought it. They turned it into an arts centre, which opened in 1979. It became a place for arts and crafts groups and artists to work and have offices. In 2004, it was updated to add more office space.
Now, the City of Melbourne has made it a major arts and culture spot. More than 50 artists and arts businesses are based there. Meat Market is a key place for developing and showing art in Melbourne. It hosts hundreds of events every year, including parts of the Melbourne International Arts Festival and Melbourne Fringe Festival.
How the Building Was Designed
Meat Market was designed by George R. Johnson in 1879. Johnson came from London and was chosen because he had designed the earlier Victoria Meat Market. He also designed the Hotham Town Hall, now called Melbourne Town Hall.
William Reynolds, a key person behind the Meat Market, was the Mayor of Hotham in 1878. Johnson later designed many other buildings in the area. He even planned changes for the Meat Market before he died in 1898.
William Reynolds and other traders formed the Metropolitan Meat Market Company. They wanted to build on land at Courtney and Blackwood Streets. You can see Reynolds' face carved above the Courtney Street entrance. The year 1874, carved above the Blackwood Street entrance, is when the Victoria Meat Market Company was started.
The building complex Johnson designed was very ambitious. It was planned to be built in stages. The first part, built between 1879 and 1880, included the main market hall. It also had offices facing Courtney Street and the hotel on Blackwood and Courtney Streets.
Later, they decided to build the bank (now the Blackwood Street Gallery) and the manager's home. The gate on Blackwood Street and the wall connecting to the hotel were also built. By 1880, they added the first shops. The entrance between the Blackwood Street gate and the market hall was left open at this time.
In 1889, part of the land was leased to build a cooling room. Johnson was asked to design it. He made the new building look like the existing one, even though it was only one storey high. It was connected by a wall across a courtyard, which is now the North Melbourne entrance.
Changes and Early Use
In 1906–1908, the market needed big changes to connect to the sewerage system. Since Johnson had passed away, the firm Gibbs and Finlay took over. This firm made major additions to the market. The main hall was extended north, adding more stalls. They carefully matched the original design.
A new cooling room was built on Blackwood Street. A new entrance was added at the north end of the site. It had a grand arch typical of the Edwardian era.
The last major changes were made by Gibbs between 1918 and 1922. The bank residence was changed to house the caretaker. An upper floor was added over the original freezing room for offices. New brick cooling rooms were built along both sides of the market hall.
The Meat Market was not the only market of its kind. There was also the official City Meat Market and the older Victorian Meat Market Company. The Metropolitan Meat Market Company ran the market until June 1974, for 94 years.
Becoming an Arts Centre
In December 1973, the Meat Market property was put up for sale. Developers were interested because it was a large area close to the city. However, the building was already listed as historically important. This meant it could not be torn down. Because of this, developers were no longer interested, and the property did not sell.
The market stayed unsold for almost three years. During this time, it was used for different things, like a warehouse, auction room, and even a car park. Many groups tried to find a new use for it, but nothing seemed to work financially.
In 1975, a glass artist named David Wright suggested to Marjorie Johnson that the old meat market would be a great craft centre. Marjorie was looking for a better place for the Craft Association of Victoria. A group inspected the building and agreed it would be perfect.
Marjorie asked the Victorian Ministry for the Arts to buy the market. There was a worry that the building might lose its historical protection. Luckily, a hearing decided to keep the market on the historical register. After much effort, the government agreed to buy it.
Government Purchase and Opening
In January 1977, the government bought Meat Market for $890,000. It became a Crown property. For the next two years, committees worked on plans for the new Craft Centre. They looked at repairs, invited public ideas, and planned how to manage it.
In May 1979, Marjorie Johnson was appointed as the Interim Manager. Her job was to get Meat Market ready to open as a Craft Centre. The centre officially opened on November 8, 1979. The Victorian State Craft Collection was displayed, along with art from local students.
Soon after, a Board of Management was formed to run the Craft Centre. In 1980, Marjorie Johnson became the General Manager. The Board set goals for the centre, including workshops for different crafts, spaces for artists, a craft shop, and changing exhibitions.
At first, only exhibitions and the State Collection could be shown. In 1981, a grant helped set up the craft shop to sell Australian crafts to tourists. In 1982, ceramic and textile workshops were started.
More money was needed to fix up large parts of the building that were not safe to use. In 1983, the Minister for the Arts announced a large amount of funding. This money allowed for the full restoration of the Meat Market. This meant all the planned activities for the centre could finally happen.
Meat Market Today
In 1998, Meat Market started being used for creative and performing arts. After big renovations in 2005, a special team was put in charge in 2015. Now, over 50 businesses and artists work from the site.
Meat Market has five spaces you can rent for arts events or public use. These include the Flat Floor Pavilion and the Cobblestone Pavilion. It's one of the few places in Melbourne with a special circus truss, which means it can host amazing aerial and circus shows.
Many creative groups also have offices inside Meat Market. These include dance and music organizations. Some well-known groups include the Indigenous arts company Ilbijerri Theatre Company and the Melbourne Jazz Festival.
Recent Events
- 7 May to 13 May 2018 - Melbourne Knowledge Week Hub
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- 26 July 2018 - Second MTV Unplugged Melbourne with Amy Shark
- 13 August 2018 - TedxMelbourne 2018: The Great Unknown
- 20 October 2018 - Broadsheet Melbourne and Connoisseur Ice Cream's Discovery Festival
- 23 to 25 November 2018 - Melbourne Music Week: Melbourne Synth Festival
