The Royal Exhibition Building is one of the most striking examples of Victorian era architecture in the city. The building was designed by Joseph Reed & built by David Mitchell for Melbourne's first international exhibition in 1880-81. Back in those days, exhibitions were held to showcase & promote products & achievements of the industrial revolution & foster a global exchange of ideas & innovations. It stands as one of the world's oldest exhibition pavilions. In 2004, the Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens were granted World Heritage List status.
With its meticulously restored, ornate interior, expansive gallery & soaring dome, the building offers a magnificent setting for cultural & community events, trade shows & fairs. Just this past weekend, the Royal Exhibition Building housed the RACV sponsored Motorclassica, which included examples of classic older model cars, such as Jaguar & Vauxhall.
In the 19th century, it was fashionable to place grand buildings such as exhibition halls in a garden setting. Garden beds at the time were laid in a "parterre" style - formally planted with hedges patterned & shaped as scrolls, circles & triangles & then in filled with flowering blooms. These beds were removed in the early 1900's & replaced with more simple beds. In 2008, Melbourne City Council reconstructed the beds in the same shape & layout as in the 1880's, but with plant species more suited to current day maintenance & water conservation requirements.
As with most of Melbourne's parks, there is a tree-lined avenue offering shade during the summer. A semi-circular space has as its centrepiece, an ornate fountain, from which other paths radiate out across the park. Melbourne really knows how to do parks. The amazing part is that most of them were established back in the mid to late 1800's. The city planners back in that century really showed great foresight & vision.
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