Parliament House, Melbourne

Parliament House
Melbourne
Parliament House in 2010
General information
Type	Parliament
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Location	Victoria
Address	Spring Street, Melbourne
Country	Australia
Current tenants	Government of Victoria
Construction started	1855
Completed	1929
Opened	1856
Client	Governor of Victoria Charles Latrobe
Design and construction
Architect	Charles Pasley & Peter Kerr
Engineer	John George Knight
Designations	Victorian Heritage Register
Website
www.parliament.vic.gov.au

Parliament House, Melbourne was constructed between 1855 and 1929 and is located on Spring Street in East Melbourne, Victoria. It has served as both the seat of the Parliament of Victoria (1855–1901, 1927–present) and as the seat of the Federal Parliament of Australia (1901–27).

The building is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005–6.

The Victorian gold rush and population boom led calls for greater democracy and a home for political debate in Victoria. Prior to the Colony of Victoria acquiring self-government in 1851, Governor Charles La Trobe instructed Surveyor General Robert Hoddle to select a site for the colony's new parliament to meet. Hoddle selected a site on the eastern hill at the top of Bourke Street, which commanded a view over the entire city. It was not until April 1854 that Eastern Hill, the current Spring Street site, was formally agreed to due to ongoing disagreements over the best location.

A competition was held to design the new building and John Knight's design won the first prize of £500, but was deemed unsuitable. The Colonial Engineer Charles Pasley subsequently produced his own design. Observers have suggested that his design borrowed heavily from Leeds Town Hall, which was built between 1853 and 1858 and is still considered to be among the finest civic buildings in the world. The design was later modified by an architect in Pasley's office, Peter Kerr. The building is an example of Neoclassical architecture.