No 2 Goods Shed facts for kids
The No. 2 Goods Shed is a very large building in Melbourne, Australia. It was once used to store goods transported by train. This historic building is located in the Docklands area, at 733 Bourke Street.
It was built in 1889 and was first called 'A Goods Shed'. When it was finished, it was the longest single building in all of Australia!
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What Does the Goods Shed Look Like?
This building is made of colorful bricks. It has strong bluestone window ledges and a slate roof with three pointed sections. These roof sections have special windows called clerestories or lanterns that let in light.
Inside, the roof is held up by strong cast iron columns and iron supports. Special terracotta blocks were used on the upper floor to help stop fires.
The shed has many arched doors: 26 on the east side and 28 on the west side. Outside, there were platforms for horse-drawn carts to load and unload goods. Inside, there were platforms next to three train tracks. The entire building is about 370 meters long!
The Office Section
At the southeast corner, there is a two-story office block. It has a central tower with fancy decorations around the main door. You can see the letters 'VR' (for Victorian Railways) with a crown above them on the east side. There's also a triangular shape called a pediment with the year '1889' on it, showing when it was built. A clock face was added later, similar to one in Ballarat.
The History of the Goods Shed
The No. 2 Goods Shed was built between 1889 and 1890. It replaced older wooden and corrugated iron buildings. These older sheds were too small for all the goods being moved by train during Melbourne's busy 1880s.
A company called A.P. Tozer and Company won the contract to build it on August 19, 1889. The office part of the building was made bigger in 1907.
This shed was one of many big projects happening at the time. These projects showed how much the Victorian Railways system was growing. Other important buildings and structures built around this time included the Railways Headquarters Building and the Flinders Street Viaduct.
Modern Changes to the Goods Shed
Over time, the area around the shed, known as Melbourne Docklands, was redeveloped. As part of these changes, the shed was actually cut in half to make way for the Collins Street extension.
The northern part of the shed was updated by the Equiset Grollo Group. They added a tall, black glass building called the 'Lantern' and renovated the inside. The southern half of the shed, now known as The Goods Shed at 707 Collins Street, was restored by the Walker Corporation. It has been turned into modern offices for companies like Pearson Australia and Penguin Random House.
The No. 2 Goods Shed is a very important historical building. It is recognized by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
