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World Heritage 
A first for Melbourne and Australia.

The Royal Exhibition Buildings, Carlton Gardens, is proposed to be 
nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List.
The Melbourne City Council is expected to nominate the Royal 
Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens to be included on the 
World Heritage (Cultural) List.

If the nomination succeeds it will be the first building in Australia 
to be nominated for World Heritage. (Sydney is also proposing to have 
the Sydney Opera House included for World Heritage Listing)

The Royal Exhibition Building is one of the most remarkable large 
nineteenth century buildings in the World . Designed by architect 
Joseph Reed and constructed in 1879 for the Melbourne International 
Exhibition of 1880-81, it is a rare and intact example of the 
buildings constructed in the heyday of the international exhibitions 
movement between 1850 and 1900. The international exhibition movement 
of the late 19th century resulted in the construction of a number of 
exhibition buildings in London, Paris, Philadelphia, Sydney, Chicago 
and Dublin all of which no longer exist in comparable form.  
Melbourne�s Royal Exhibition Building is considered to be the last 
great example of a type of building intended to house and display 
works of industry, science, art and commerce on an international 
scale.  The significance of the formation of the international 
exhibition movement in the 19th century adds to the international 
importance of the Royal Exhibition Building.  It is a unique survivor 
from the golden age of international exhibitions.

The Royal Exhibition Building clearly meets the criteria for 
consideration for World Heritage as it is truly outstanding and 
extremely rare (in international terms) example of a type of building 
which illustrates a significant stage in human history, eg the great 
International exhibitions of the late nineteenth century.  It is an 
exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition which began with the 
great London International Exhibition of 1951, the Crystal Palace 
Exhibition, Hyde Park. It stands in testament and recognition of the 
significant exemplars in London in 1862, Paris in 1867 Vienna in 
1873, Philadelphia in 1876, Paris in 1878, Sydney in 1879, Melbourne 
in 1880-81 and 1888-89, Paris in 1889 (which commissioned the 
construction of the Eiffel Tower) and Chicago in 1893.

The Royal Exhibition Building is a monumental structure which stands 
intact in the Carlton Gardens is a dramatic testament to the spirit 
of enterprise and industry of the Victorian age.  Not only was the 
building witness to world economic, aesthetic, industrial and 
commercial trends in the late nineteenth century the Centennial 
International Exhibition of 1888 celebrated Australia�s centenary and 
in 1901 the opening of Australia�s first Federal Parliament, marking 
the birth of our Nation.  It remains an important public resource and 
is of unique and special significance to Australia and the world.  

In architectural terms, the Royal Exhibition Building is an exemplar 
of the eclectic architectural styles of the master architect Joseph 
Reed and the skills of its builder David Mitchell.  The Exhibition 
Building�s Florentine Dome , modelled on Brunlleschi�s Florence 
Cathedral, is a Victorian Icon and is the dominate architectural 
feature seen throughout Carlton.

The proposed nomination for World Heritage is supported by the 
National Trust, the City of Melbourne, Defend Our Heritage, the 
Australian Labor Party, the Australian Democrats, The Australian 
Conservation Foundation, Architectural historians and members of the 
academic community .  The benefits and international recognition is 
considerable.  It should receive overwhelming support from the whole 
community.

�. The history and significance of the Royal Exhibition Buildings has 
been documented and portrayed in the book "Victorian Icon: The Royal 
Exhibition Building" by Dr. David Dunstan, Historian. - Australian 
Scholarly Publishing