The State Library of Victoria will be transformed by an $83 million project that will open up 40 percent more of the building’s space to visitors.
The state government allocated $55.4 million to the redevelopment in its recent budget, with a further $28 million to be raised through fundraising efforts by the library.
The project will combine the restoration of some of the significant heritage aspects of the building with the establishment of new facilities that will modernise the way the library is used by visitors.
Some of the key heritage elements of the plan include:
- Reopening the Russell Street entrance
- Restoring Queen’s Hall (the library’s first public reading room that opened in 1859) and opening it to the public for the first time in 12 years
- Establishing a rooftop garden terrace above Queen’s Hall
- Changing the dome galleries into open-access collection spaces
An artist’s impression of Queen’s Hall, the original public reading room in the State Library that opened in 1859.
Image: Supplied by the State Library of Victoria.
Other aspects of the redevelopment include creating an innovation hub with digital media and entrepreneurship centres, establishing spaces to accomodate children and young people and the refurbishment of the conference and theatre facilities.
A $200 million refurbishment of the library took place between 1990 and 2004, designed by practice Ancher Mortlock & Woolley. The distinctive large-scale glass dome that opened on top of the building in 1913 was restored during this period.
The State Library of Victoria was completed in 1856 after the renowned Melbourne architect Jospeh Reed won a competition to design the building. Reed also designed the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Town Hall.
Over time the library has changed as it has adapted to different uses, including hosting the state’s art gallery and museum until well into the twentieth century.
Connections have been drawn between the State Library of Victoria and the glass Crystal Palace building that was built in Hyde Park, London, to host the Great Exhibition in 1851. Architectural historian Harriet Edquist has written about the influence of the Crystal Palace building on Melbourne architects during the time the library was designed.
The project is set to be completed in 2020.
