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Latest News1/6/2004Royal Exhibition Building Granted World Heritage Status
Successful nomination gives Melbourne and Australia an international heritage icon.The last great survivor of the international exhibition movement of the late 19th century is now Victoria's first World Heritage listed place putting the building on par with Athens' Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower, the Tower of London and the Taj Mahal. The great domed buiding was host to World Exhibitions in both 1880 and 1888 and hosted the first Australian Parliament in 1901.Discuss this news in the Walking Melbourne Forum 21/4/2004New Exhibition Centre PlansVictorian State Government Announces Plans for Larger Convention Facility
$370 million of government funds for a new convention centre to be built at Southbank next to DCM's award winning Exhibition Centre (pictured) have been announced set to make the precinct the Australia's leading conference facility. Further Information : The Herald Sun Discuss this issue in the Walking Melbourne Forum 11/7/2003St Kilda Cultural Landmark DestroyedRIP St Kilda Pier Kiosk - Razed by Fire 2003 The St Kilda Pier Kiosk, a cultural icon burned down at 4am this morning. Fire trucks had to stretch 600 metres of hose down the pier to try to control the blaze which after about 90 minutes eventually consumed the timber structure. The building, owned by the government is fully insured, and the Bracks government has proposed to rebuild the 1904 eclectic Art Noveau - French Second Empire styled landmark based on original plans. The building has been in a state of disrepair for many years - but it's oldworld charm and idyllic setting on Por Phillip Bay looking back toward the city skyline and historic St Kilda former seaside playground - has still attracted a steady flow of Victorian and overseas visitors. Arson is suspected as the primary cause of the fire. Further Information : Discuss this issue in the Walking Melbourne Forum Opinion Poll Should they Rebuild the St Kilda Pier Kiosk or start anew ? 20/5/2003Landmark new Bridge Announced$27.8 million project to link the MCG with CBD for the 2006 Commonwealth Games The Minister for the Commonwealth Games has unveiled plans to build a bridge between the MCG, Melbourne Park and Birrarung Marr over the Jolimont Rail Yards and CityLink. To be funded in by the State Budget is part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games trategy. The bridge will stretch from Birrarung Marr, across Batman Avenue (Citylink), to a landing with access to Melbourne Park, then across the rail corridor to Yarra Park to the west of the MCG. It will be about 350m long (including a 250m by 12m wide section across the rail corridor). Consultation with key stakeholders such as the City of Melbourne, the MCG Trust, East Melbourne Residents Group and the Melbourne Olympic Park Trust will commence shortly on the scope and design of the project. Planning approvals will be provided under the Commonwealth Games Arrangements Act, and will be the subject of an Advisory Committee process. Construction will commence in early 2004 and the project completed prior to the Games in March 2006. This project could result in a landmark new architectural statement for the city in a re-vitalised part of the city, to coincide with the new look MCG, Federation Square and Birrarung Marr parklands. No architect or final design has yet been announced. Further Information : Department of the Premier 27/10/2002Federation Square Opens !Melbourne's unusual new centrepiece opens in stages  The controversial Federation Square project, the product of an international design competition has finally opened. At the cultural 'heart' of the city, on the intersection of Flinders Street and Swanston Street, Federation Square sits between Flinders Street Station, the historic Young and Jackson's Hotel and St Pauls Cathedral. The complex series of structures consists of a square framed by silver and glass shards, a series of trangularly composed complex facades, a giant cobbled sandstone plaza and massive complex glass atrium. A series of small laneways provide vistas framing previously hidden parts of the city. Federation Square is the first major city project to break Melbourne's traditional rectangular grid pattern, joining the CBD to the Yarra river. The Western shard was cut in height due to a controversial political decision by the Bracks government. The building will be a major cultural centre, housing the Ian Potter museum of Art, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Multicultural television station SBS and several restaurants and bars. Further Information : The Age 21/10/2002Royal Exhibition Building - World Heritage NominationRecognition for one of the worlds great Victorian era structures The home of the 1888 Great Exhibition and birthplace of Australian Federation, the building is one of few surviving World's Fair monuments from the Victorian era and played host to Australia's opening session of parliament. Set in beautiful 19th century gardens and starkly contrasted by the new Melbourne Museum the Exhibition building was modelled on the Cathedral of Florence and features a distinctively eclectic style. The beginning of a long assessment process, if successful the nomination will see the Royal Exhibition building join the ranks of the Taj Mahal and Egypt's Pyramids as one of the world's most significant structures. Update ! (25/3/2003)Royal Exhibition Building closer to World Heritage StatusREB nomination for World Heritage has been accepted by World Heritage Comittee Planning Minister Mary Delahunty said yesterday the State Government would work with the Federal Government, Melbourne City Council and agencies to ensure the success of the bid. A team of heritage experts will visit Melbourne later in the year to make a final assessment of the significance of the building. A decision is expected to be made around the middle of next year. 14/8/2002RVIB building Developer Cash Grab$35m RVIB development to impact St Kilda Road gardens The office tower will also obscure the view of the landmark building from St Kilda road. As a minor consolation, the RVIB will use a portion of the development windfall from the property developer Mirvac to restore the spires to the heritage building, which were been removed sometime in the history of the building. The spires were once of a strikingly similar style to neighbouring the Victorian College for the Deaf building (also by Crouch & Wilson). Further Information : The Age 3/7/2002Southern Cross Station$1billion Re-development of Spencer Street Station  The 143-year-old station will be transformed by a curvaceous glass and metal roof with raised domes to help extract diesel fumes from the platforms below. Observers likened the plans to waves, sand dunes and ski moguls. As part of the overhaul the $40 million Bourke St pedestrian bridge, completed just two years ago, will be remodelled with a full roof, leaving just half the existing structure. Other plans include:
15/5/2002MCG DemolitionsHeritage 1927 Art Deco Members Pavilion to be razed for new stand  The Members Pavilion is the only older grandstand remaining at Victoria's premier sporting oval, a place with the highest social and historical significance. The Pavilion dates from 1927 and is undoubtedly the grandest interwar grandstand in the state, characterised by a unique Romanesque facade and notable interiors. The grandstand has been a symbolically important feature of the MCG for generations. The Melbourne Cricket Club plans to demolish the Members Pavilion and two far less significant adjacent grandstands (the 1956 Olympic Stand and 1967 Ponsford Stand) to construct a large new grandstand with improved facilities, partly to accommodate the Commonwealth Games. The $400 million proposal has caused division within the membership of the Melbourne Cricket Club, who are equally divided between sentiment and comfort. |
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