Supreme Court of Victoria (building) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Supreme Court Building
The Supreme Court building as seen from the corner of William St and Lonsdale St
General information
Location	192-228 William Street, Melbourne, Australia
Construction started	1874
Completed	1884
Design and construction
Architect	Smith & Johnson

The Supreme Court Building is an important court building in Melbourne, Australia. You can find it at 192-228 William Street. This building is part of a larger group of buildings called the Melbourne Law Courts. These courts also include the Supreme Court Library and the Court of Appeal.

Today, the Supreme Court Building is home to the Supreme Court of Victoria. This is the highest court in the state of Victoria. It is only below the High Court of Australia, which is the highest court in the whole country. The Supreme Court has been using this building since it first opened in February 1884.

History of the Supreme Court Building

The Supreme Court Building was built between 1874 and 1884. It took about ten years to finish this large project.

How the Design Was Chosen

The design for this big public building was picked through a special competition. Architects submitted their ideas, and a group from the Public Works Department judged them. Alfred Louis Smith and Arthur Ebden Johnson won the competition with their design.

However, there was a big problem! It turned out that Johnson, one of the winning architects, was also one of the judges. This caused a major scandal. Because of this, Johnson left his job at the Public Works Department. He then joined Smith to form a very successful architecture company called Smith & Johnson.

A Major Building Project

When it was being built, the Supreme Court Building was the biggest single construction project happening in Australia. It was also one of the last major public buildings to be built before a big economic problem. This problem was called the depression of 1893. It caused almost all building projects to stop until the early 1900s. Even today, the Supreme Court Building is the largest group of court buildings in Australia designed by one team.

Architecture of the Court Building

The Supreme Court Building is a great example of the classical Renaissance Revival style. This style looks back to the grand buildings of ancient Rome and Greece.

Building Materials and Design

The building has two floors and is made of brick. It sits on strong foundations made of Malmsbury bluestone. The outside walls are covered with Tasmanian freestone. This stone gives the building a grand look.

The front of the building, facing William Street, has a fancy double row of columns. These columns are in the Ionic and Composite styles. All four sides of the building have many blind arcades. These are arches that are built into the wall but don't open up.

The windows have different shapes and decorations. Some are round arched, some have broken pediments (a triangle shape above them), and some are flat arched.

Lady Justice Statue

Above the main entrance on William Street, there is a large bronze statue of Lady Justice. She is about twice the size of a real person. This statue is a bit unusual. Lady Justice is usually shown blindfolded, holding scales high up. But this statue is not blindfolded, and her scales rest on her knee.

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  Tower Dome of the Supreme Court Library.

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  William Street Entrance.

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  Shelves of law reports within the Supreme Court Library.

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  A stained glass window set into the inner dome above the Supreme Court Library, within the Supreme Court of Victoria building.

Inside the Building

The building itself is a perfect square. It has a circular courtyard in the middle. Each side of the building, facing a street, is 85 meters long. A covered driveway leads from Lonsdale Street into the central courtyard. The Supreme Court Library sits in this courtyard.

The library's design fits the Renaissance Palazzo style. It has three floors. The bottom floor looks strong and rough (called rusticated base). The middle floor is the main floor (called piano nobile), and the top floor is smaller (called attic storey).

The building has eight courtrooms. One courtroom is in each of the four corners of the square. The other four courtrooms are in the north and south parts of the building. The rest of the space is used for offices and rooms for the judges.

The inside of the building is very detailed. It has fancy plasterwork on the walls and ceilings. The benches, judges' canopies, and cedar wood panels are also very well made.

Inspiration for the Design

It is believed that the design of this building was inspired by James Gandon's Four Courts building in Dublin, Ireland. This idea was suggested to Smith & Johnson by the Chief Justice at the time, Sir William Stawell.