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HO751 [ 2 ] State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. It is also Australia's busiest public library [ 3 ] and, as of 2023, the third ...
Oct 18, 2024 · Architectural history. In 1853, Lieutenant-Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe initiated the establishment of the Melbourne Public Library. The Library Trustees were appointed in July 1853. The sum of £10,000 was appropriated for the building and the purchase of books and a two-acre block of land was set aside with frontage on Swanston Street.
- Tim Hogan
- 2012
The Public Library of Victoria (later the State Library of Victoria) was one of Australia's first public libraries. In 1853, at the instigation of notable citizens like Sir Redmond Barry and Governor Charles La Trobe, it was decided to establish a library in Melbourne. A competition for design of the building was won by Joseph Reed (whose later work included the Melbourne Town Hall and the ...
The State Library's five-year Vision 2020 redevelopment project transformed our public spaces, programs and facilities to better meet the changing needs of the community. The $88.1 million project was supported by funding from the Victorian Government and philanthropic contributions. The State Library Victoria, Australia's oldest public library ...
- Melbourne Public Library Opens
- The Library Expands
- Intercolonial Exhibition
- Swanston Street Portico 'Imposing'
- Domed Reading Room Opens
- Opening of La Trobe Library
- Library Redevelopment Begins
- Five-Year Redevelopment Begins
- Morphing Through The Decades
February 11, 1856
The Melbourne Public Library opens its doors to anyone over the age of 14 who can demonstrate that they have clean hands. The library consists of the central section of the building seen from Swanston Street today.
May 24, 1859
The library's South Wing is completed, including the extended Queen's Hall, named in honour of Queen Victoria. An article in the Argus newspaper the following day notes that the opening oratory was delivered by president of the library Justice Redmond Barry (later Sir), in a "clear and well-modulated voice", and that: The library becomes symmetrical with the completion of the North Wing in 1864.
October 24, 1866
The Rotunda and Great Hall are constructed for the Intercolonial Exhibition of 1866. The Intercolonial Exhibition buildings are later demolished to make way for the Domed Reading Room.
October 28, 1870
The library begins to look more like the building we know today, with the completion of the portico at the front entrance. An article in the Benalla Ensign says the newly completed portico makes the building "one of the most imposing in the city".
November 14, 1913
Governor-general Lord Denman officially opens the Domed Reading Room, which was commissioned for the library's jubilee. Designed to emulate London's British Museum and Washington's Library of Congress, the dome is 114 feet in diameter and 114 feet high. More than 100 years later the room is described by current State Library of Victoria chief executive Kate Torney as "probably the most photographed room in Melbourne".
September 6, 1965
Built to bring together the library's many Australiana collections under one roof, premier Sir Henry Bolte officially opens the La Trobe Library. The building, which fronts onto La Trobe Street, has taken 14 years to construct from the time the foundation stone was laid.
The timeline above only includes some of the many buildings that have been constructed, and demolished, at the library site throughout its history. A video produced by State Library Victoria shows a computer-generated 3D rendering of the changes to the library over time. 774 ABC Melbourne broadcasts Radio-in-Residenceat the State Library until Febr...
Oct 18, 2024 · Building timeline. 1853 January Appropriation (see page Gazette p.8) 1853 July Appointment of Library trustees (see Gazette p.1022) 1854 July 3 Foundation stone laid. 1856 February 11 Melbourne Public Library opened: central portion of Swanston Street frontage (50x50 feet) 1856 May 26 Library reopens after a short closure to install gas ...
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Oct 18, 2024 · Building a new world: a history of the State Library of Victoria, 1853-1913. Melbourne, Vic., State Library of Victoria, 2013 [online] NOTE: The access conditions for this resource have changed. See box at right for pdf access. Published to celebrate the centenary of the Domed Reading Room in 2013. McCallum, C. A.
