Former Magistrate’s Court Building, Melbourne

Former Magistrate’s Court Building, Melbourne

architecture, building, columns, Court of Petty Sessions, George B H Austin, hood moulding, law, law courts, magistrate, Magistrate’s Court, masonry, Melbourne, neo-romanesque, Norman Revival, Public Works Department, RMIT, Romanesque architecture, rounded arches, semi-circular arches, stonework, Supreme Court, Swanson Brothers, tower, turrets, university, university buildings, Victoria, arch

An image of the Former Magistrate’s Court Building on the corner of La Trobe Street and Russell Street in Melbourne’s CBD. The Former Magistrate’s Court building was designed by Department of Public Works architect George H B Austin and built by the Swanson Brothers. It is a three-storey building of French Romanesque style that was constructed entirely from Australian materials. The corner site was well-established as the location of the City’s law courts, having previously housed the Supreme Court and then the Court of Petty Sessions in a two-storey brick building that was demolished in 1910 to make way for the current building. Construction of the new building began in 1911 and was completed in 1914. The strongly modelled entrance, thick, squat columns and solid masonry are characteristic of Norman Revival or neo-romanesque architecture, as are the tourelles, tower, parapeted gables and semi-circular windows and arches. The Court of Petty Sessions, later renamed the Melbourne Magistrate’s court, operated from the building from 1914 until 1995. It is now owned by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and is used for lectures.

McEwan, Joanne

6 May 2011

No Copyright

Digital Photograph; JPEG

Digital Photograph; JPEG