Parliament House, Melbourne
Parliament House | |
---|---|
Website | |
www.parliament.vic.gov.au | |
Official name | Parliament House (Including Grounds, Works and Fences) |
Type | State Registered Place |
Designated | August 20, 1982 |
Reference no. | H1722[1] |
Heritage Overlay number | HO175[1] |
Parliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Victoria, one of the parliaments of the Australian states and territories.
Located on
Background
Site
The
Design
The exact sequence of events is unclear, with a number of architects and designs chosen and rejected in succession, with the final result possibly based on earlier work. The first design appeared as early as 1851 by then Colonial Architect Henry Ginn; however, the Legislative Council then decided to have a competition in 1853, which Ginn took as a slight and resigned. A design by Smith & Pritchard won first prize, but this was soon set aside as well. The Colony's newly arrived Chief Engineer (from Nov 1855 Commissioner of Public Works)
Construction and completion
Chambers: 1855–1856
It was decided to construct the building in stages, owing to its vast size and cost, so construction began in December 1855 on only the two chambers, one for the Victorian Legislative Assembly and a smaller more ornate chamber for the Victorian Legislative Council. Construction progressed rapidly and on 25 November 1856, the first session of the Victorian Government in the new chambers was opened, to great acclaim.[5]
Library and Eastern Wing: 1858–1860
Construction of the Library and eastern wing began in 1858 and was completed in 1860. There was much debate about an appropriate stone for the exterior, with a desire to use stone from Victoria, though none could be found that were known to be entirely suitable. Bluestone was rejected as too dark and sombre, local granite as too expensive, even Carrara marble was considered, but freestone from Bacchus Marsh was chosen. This proved to decay rapidly and large parts had to be replaced with stone from Tasmania within a few years.[7] With the library complete, the two legislative chambers were joined at the rear, resulting in a `U-shaped' building. The classical architectural detail of the east facade were noted as the first expression of Peter Kerr's vision for the building.[5] No further construction took place for 18 years; however, the first set of electrical bells used to call members to divisions were installed circa 1877.
Queen's Hall, Vestibule and Proposed Dome: 1879–1882
In 1876 a
Though a radical simplification of the 1855 design, the main facade bears a strong similarity to Leeds Town Hall, designed 1853, and completed 1858, which is somewhat smaller and less elaborate. The dome however is quite different to Leeds’ square columned tower, which is however similar to the 1855 Melbourne tower, designed about the time a tower was added to the Leeds Town Hall design.
The Great Hall (renamed Queen's Hall in 1887) and vestibule were completed in 1879, with the Commission continuing to produce reports on the progress. Their report of 1878 noted the progress on the construction of the Queens Hall and Vestibule (up to the base of the proposed dome), and that there was still no agreement on a suitable stone for the exterior.[8]
Queen's Hall was used for formal receptions and banquets, while the Vestibule offered a formal entry to Parliament House, though the grand front steps were not to be completed for another decade.[5]
West Front and Stairs 1881–1891
Planning for the construction of the grand classical colonnaded front of the building facing Bourke Street as envisaged in the 1877 plan was to follow on immediately after the completion of the previous section, but construction was delayed by the ongoing desire to find a suitable Victorian stone for the exterior. Work in interiors progressed, with the imported Minton tiled floor of the Vestibule laid in 1888,[9] spelling out a quote from Proverbs 11:14: "Where no Counsel is the People Fall; but in the Multitude of Counsellors there is Safety". Eventually sandstone from Mt Difficult in the Grampians National Park was decided upon, and a quarry was opened up. The colonnade with the grand front entry stairs was completed in 1889,[10] and final interior decoration was completed in 1890. Final elements like the ornate wrought-iron fence around the grounds and the elaborate cast-iron lamps and the bronze lions of the entry stairs were completed over the next year. A contract for the north wing was let in 1890, with the dome to follow, but the boom years of the 1880s were over, and the subsequent economic depression of the 1890s meant no further work was started.[11]
Refreshment Rooms 1927–1929
After the Federal Parliament relocated to Canberra in 1927, the Federal Government paid for the last major addition, the refreshment rooms occupying the northeast corner. The exterior followed the 1877 design, and it was completed in 1929.[5]
Temporary home of Federal Parliament
From 1901 to 1927, Parliament House was the first home of the
Many of the major events of the early federal period took place in this building, including the formation of the Federal Parliamentary
Modern use and developments
The building resumed its original use as the Victorian Parliament chambers in 1928. Parliament House was then listed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1982[2] and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005–6.[3]
Several modern governments have expressed interest in completing Pasley and Kerr's original design by constructing the dome but were deterred by the substantial cost. Notably, the 1992
From 2016 to 2018, a $40 million two-storey office building was constructed in the gardens of Parliament House for MPs' use. The building is embedded into the landscape to specifically reduce its impact on Parliament House and other nearby buildings.[14] The new building is called the Members Annexe and contains 102 offices for members of the Parliament of Victoria. The building was designed by Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design. [15] The annexe is deliberately sunk to preserve the view of Parliament House. Its pincer shape ensures quick access for members to return to the legislative chambers within four minutes when votes are called. [16]
The stairs on the west front of Parliament House are frequently used by protestors and activitists to draw attention to contentious issues. Notable protests that used the stairs as a gathering point and podium for speeches include the 2020 Black Lives Matter protest [17] and several anti-lockdown protests during the COVID-19 pandemic, [18] While individuals or groups are not required to obtain permission from the City of Melbourne to hold a protest on the stairs of Parliament House, the City of Melbourne encourages notifying Victoria Police of planned activities in advance. [19]
Gallery
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Victorian Parliament and surrounding area
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Victoria Parliament from Spring Street
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Colonnade and Portico
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Victorian flag at half-mast on 10th anniversary of the Bali bombings, 12 October 2012
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Building Entrance
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Steps and Facade from Spring Street
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Parliament House Melbourne Vestibule tiled floor
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Parliament House Melbourne Vestibule
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Queen's Hall in Parliament House, with a statue ofQueen Victoria
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Parliament House Melbourne Library
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Parliament House Melbourne Library
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Parliament House Melbourne Library
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Legislative Council in 1878
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Legislative Assembly Chamber in 2022
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Legislative Council Chamber in 2022
See also
References
- ^ a b "LIBRARY OF THE SUPREME COURT". Victorian Heritage Database. PARLIAMENT HOUSE (INCLUDING GROUNDS, WORKS AND FENCES). Retrieved 26 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Parliament House (including grounds, works and fences), Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1722, Heritage Overlay HO175". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria.
- ^ a b "Celebrate 150 Years". Parliament of Victoria. 26 October 2006. Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ "Melbourne: built on gold". Victorian Cultural Collaboration. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "History of Parliament House". Parliament of Victoria.
- ^ a b Tibbits, George (1971). "Parliament House Melbourne". Historic Public Buildings of Australia. Melbourne: Cassell Australia. pp. 152–163.
- ^ "The History of Parliament House". The Age. 2 October 1886.
- ^ Second Report of the Royal Commission upon the Parliament Buildings (PDF). H.M. Printer for Victoria. 1878.
- ^ "Improvements At Parliament-House". Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil. Vol. XVI, no. 231. Melbourne. 17 May 1888. p. 75. Retrieved 2 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Parliament-Houses". The Argus. No. 13, 389. Melbourne. 22 May 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 2 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Melbourne Friday". The Age. No. 11, 152. Melbourne. 21 November 1890. p. 4. Retrieved 2 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ McGovern, Josephine (1 June 1975). "The Library of The Parliament of Victoria: Some historical notes". The Australian Library Journal. 24 (5): 201.
- ^ "Dome sweet dome". Herald Sun Melbourne. 31 July 2008. Archived 26 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Johnson, Sian (19 January 2016). "$40m addition to Vic Parliament House". ArchitectureAU. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ "Classic forms meet contemporary functions | Parliament of Victoria". www.parliament.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Parliament of Victoria Members' Annexe". Peter Elliott Architecture + Urban Design. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest organisers to be fined by police". ABC News. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Police arrest more than 400 demonstrators at Melbourne anti-lockdown protest". ABC News. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Organising public assemblies, demonstrations and rallies - City of Melbourne". www.melbourne.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 10 April 2024.