Joseph Reed, The Exhibition Building Melbourne 1880, the South West Aspect of the Main Hall - 1879

by Atelier Liesjes

The Royal Exhibition Building was designed by the architect Joseph Reed, who also designed Melbourne City Hall, the State Library of Victoria and the Baroque-style gardens. The Royal Exhibition Building was the largest design completed by Reed and Barnes. The exhibition building consists of brick, wood, steel and slate and is representative of the Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombard and Italian Renaissance styles. The dome is modelled after Florence Cathedral, while the main pavilions were influenced by the style of Rundbogenstil and several buildings from Normandy, Caen and Paris. The building has a cruciform plan in the shape of a Latin cross.

The Royal Exhibition Building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was completed for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition. The building measures 64 hectares, is 150 metres long and is surrounded by four city streets. This was followed in 1888 by the even larger Centennial International Exhibition and the formal opening of Australia's first parliament in 1901. The building is representative of the money and pride Victoria had in the 1870s.

Joseph Reed (c. 1823-1890), a Cornishman by birth, was one of the most talented, productive and influential Victorian architects in Melbourne, Australia.