Horticultural Hall is an important link to Melbourne's social and cultural history. Assembly halls played a vital social role as venues for a range of clubs and societies which evolved in the 19th century.

The hall was built in 1873 on a site first established by the Victorian Horticultural Improvement Society in 1859.

Horticultural Hall had been home to a diverse range of groups from the Anti-Communist Party to the Melbourne Bushwalkers Club. Since 2006 it has been the base of the Victorian Opera.

"Most people as soon as they step inside, start asking about the history of this building and its variety of past residents," Victorian Opera's operations manager, Jane Millett said.

Its heritage features completely add to the soul of our activity and the building just comes alive when it's used as a working rehearsal space.

Ms Millett said the Mint Inc's capital contribution for major restoration work has reinstated the hall's important original heritage features and provided a contemporary level of services.

"An upgrade and refurbishment on this scale means we have been able to use all the available space and make the whole building work for the company."

History

The Horticultural Hall was established on the current site when the Victorian Horticultural Improvement Society erected an iron shed in 1859. The original shed was replaced in 1873 by the present two storey brick hall with a gabled roof designed by architect William Ellerker, and erected at a cost of £2000. The land was temporarily reserved from sale by the government in 1866 and then permanently reserved in 1889.

In 1878 a symmetrical two storey brick building with a bluestone plinth was added between the existing hall and Victoria Street. The facade follows a typical Victorian composition of classical elements, whereby the main entrance is expressed by pediments and is flanked by identical window bays. In 1888 this building was extended by one bay, at a cost of £1800, to create an asymmetrical facade. The cement mouldings include Doric piers, an entablature and acanthus leaf pilaster capitals. The interior is plain but mostly intact. The restrained decoration of the main hall includes Doric pilasters around the walls and the roof is lined with diagonal boards.

The Horticultural Hall is historically significant as one of a once large number of assembly halls which played an important social role in Melbourne as the venue for various clubs and societies. The Horticultural Hall is unusual as one of the most intact of a handful of such halls that survive today. The site was continuously occupied by the Society until 2001. The Horticultural Hall is architecturally significant as an expression of the evolution of the classical style in Victoria.

The decorative treatment of the facade represents a mid-point between the hierarchical treatment of the Renaissance Revival style and the later, more embellished and less restrained designs of the so-called boom period.

VHR Number H0520
Other Listings - Melbourne City Planning Scheme
General References CBD Study Area No.4, Daryl Jackson Evan Walker Architects, 1979?, pp.38-39, MCC.