1880 – Melbourne International Exhibition, Australia

“We present our readers with a lithograph illustration of the accepted design for the proposed International Exhibition to be held in Melbourne in the year 1880. It is by Messrs. Reed and Barnes, of Melbourne. The site suggested for the erection of this ornate structure is at the south end of the Carlton Gardens, with frontage to Victoria Parade. Our view is copied from the Australian News.”
The Building News

In May 1878, the designs of Joseph Reed and Frederick Barnes were chosen for the Main Building of the Exhibition. The building is huge, the main body measured 500 x 160 feet and the transept was 272 feet long. A large dome 60 feet in diameter rose 217 feet above the building. Two machinery annexes, each 460 x 138 feet, were built at the rear of the main building.

The building was extended and reused in 1888 as venue for the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, celebrating the founding of European settlement in Sydney in 1788. The main building or Great Hall as it became known has been used for exhibitions, balls, banquets, and during World War II was used by the Royal Australian Air Force. Now known as the Royal Exhibition Building.