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Produced and published by the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
Published July 2008
Published July 2008
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Conceived in 1993 by an incoming Liberal-National Party government to replace the 1880 Royal Exhibition Building, the Melbourne Exhibition Centre was constructed around the shell of their defeated opponent's recently commenced museum at Southbank. The 30 000 square metre, column-free construction, the largest in Australia and dubbed 'Jeff's Shed', was opened by Premier Jeff Kennett on 14 February 1996. The Centre, designed by Denton Corker Marshall, is well integrated with the adjacent Yarra River and its cargo sheds, and has received many prizes including the 1996 Royal Australian Institute of Architects Sir Zelman Cowen Award for the best public building in Australia.