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Virtual Tour
On 3 July 1854, Governor Sir Charles Hotham laid the foundation stone for Victoria's first public Library. Almost two years later, the first section of the Melbourne Public Library, comprising an entrance hall and first-floor reading room, was opened to everyone over the age of 14.
Over the next 150 years, additional buildings were contructed to accommodate the Museum and National Gallery of Victoria, as well as provide more space for the growing collection and areas for research and study.
This virtual tour takes you through many of these buildings, highlighting the most significant aspects of the Library's history and architecture.
| ForecourtEarly plans for the forecourt were drawn up Joseph Reed, architect of the original Library buildings. The design and layout of the forecourt has undergone many changes since the Library first opened. It currently includes several sculptures: Redmond Barry, installed in 1887, St George and the Dragon, c1888 and Jeanne d'Arc, 1907. A bronze statue of Charles Joseph La Trobe, unveiled in 2006, sits not far away, on the north lawn. |
| FacadeIn 1853 Joseph Reed won an open competition for the design of the Public Library on land that had been set aside by Governor La Trobe. The original building was opened on 11 February 1856. The wings along the Swanston Street frontage were completed in 1859 (south wing) and 1864 (north wing). The portico, added in 1870, completed Reed's design for the central portion of the facade. It is made from Tasmanian freestone, a type of sandstone from Kangaroo Head near Hobart, Tasmania. |
| FoyerThe Swanston Street foyer was the grand entrance to the original Library. It has been refurbished several times, most recently in 2001 when redevelopment work included the addition of glass entry doors and a new information desk. |
| Keith Murdoch GalleryThis gallery is on your right as you enter the front foyer. It first opened in May 1859 and was used as a Museum of Art within the Melbourne Public Library. This colonnaded gallery subsequently became part of the Museum of Victoria. It was refurbished in the State Library redevelopment program, reopening in May 2001. The gallery displays exhibitions from the Library's collections, as well as touring shows from other cultural institutions. |
| Information CentreOriginally used as a newspaper and periodical reading room from 1913 to 1980, this area retains some of the original architectural features such as the elegant fan-ribbed roof. In 1997, as part of the Library's redevelopment project, the Information Centre was opened as the first public area of the Library specifically designed around computer technology.
As you walk through the Information Centre, there are two reading rooms on your left. | |
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