Royal Exhibition Building

Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building, showing the fountain on the southern or Carlton Gardens side of the building
General information
Location	9 Nicholson Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates	37.804728°S 144.971225°E / -37.804728; 144.971225
Construction started	1879 (1879)
Completed	1880 (1880)
Design and construction
Architect	Joseph Reed
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii
Designated	2004 (28th session)
Reference no.	1131
State Party	Australia
Region	Asia-Pacific

The Royal Exhibition Building is in Carlton, Victoria, Australia. When it was built in 1880, it was the largest building in Australia and the tallest building in Melbourne. It is listed as a World Heritage site. It is the only 19th century exhibition hall that held an international exhibition still in use. In 1880, 1.8 million people visited the exhibition; the population of Melbourne was only 282,000 people. From 1901 to 1925 the state government of Victoria used the building while the federal government used the State Parliament buildings.

In 2009, archaeologists dug up the car park to find out more about the buildings. They found paths from gardens that had been on the site before the building was put up. They also found the remains of an octagonal (eight-sided) kiosk which had sold food snacks and drinks in the gardens. They also found the remains of an extra building put up in 1888 to hold military weapons that were part of the 1880 exhibition.