Royal Exhibition Building

Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building, with its fountain on the southern or Carlton Gardens side.
General information
Status	Completed
Location	9 Nicholson Street, Carlton, Victoria
Country	Australia
Coordinates	37°48′17″S 144°58′17″E / 37.80472°S 144.97139°E / -37.80472; 144.97139
Elevation	61 m (200 ft)
Construction started	1879; 145 years ago (1879)
Completed	1880; 144 years ago (1880)
Owner	Victoria State Government
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Joseph Reed
Other information
Public transit access	Tram routes 86, 96
Website
museumsvictoria.com.au/reb/
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii
Designated	2004 (28th session)
Reference no.	1131
Region	Asia-Pacific
Australian National Heritage List
Type	Historic
Criteria	a, b, d, e, f, g
Designated	20 July 2004; 19 years ago (2004-07-20)
Reference no.	105708
Victorian Heritage Register
Type	Community Facilities
Criteria	a, b, c, d, e, g
Designated	21 March 1982; 42 years ago (1982-03-21)
Reference no.	H1501[1]
Heritage Overlay number	HO69 [1]

The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage-listed building in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, built in 1879–1880 as part of the international exhibition movement, which presented over 50 exhibitions between 1851 and 1915 around the globe. The building sits on approximately 26 hectares (64 acres), is 150 metres (490 ft) long and is surrounded by four city streets.^[2] It is at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district. It was built to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880–81, and then hosted the even larger Centennial International Exhibition in 1888, and the formal opening of the first Parliament of Australia in 1901. The building is representative of the money and pride Victoria had in the 1870s.^[3] Throughout the 20th century smaller sections and wings of the building were subject to demolition and fire; however, the main building, known as the Great Hall, survived.

It received restoration throughout the 1990s and in 2004 became the first building in Australia to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, being one of the last remaining major 19th-century exhibition buildings in the world. It is the world's most complete surviving site from the International Exhibition movement 1851–1914. It sits adjacent to the Melbourne Museum and is the largest item in Museum Victoria's collection. Today, the building hosts various exhibitions and other events and is closely tied with events at the Melbourne Museum.