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It was designed by the architect Joseph Reed (who also designed the Melbourne Town Hall and the State Library of Victoria). It was completed in 1880, in preparation for the Melbourne International Exhibition . The building consisted of a Great Hall of over 12,000 square metres and many temporary annexes.
The Melbourne Centennial Exhibition was held at the Exhibition Building in 1888 to celebrate a century of European settlement in Australia.
The most significant event to occur in the Exhibition Building was the opening of the first Parliament of Australia, held in the building on 9 May 1901, at the inauguration of the sovereign Commonwealth of Australia. After the official opening, the federal government moved to the Victorian State Parliament House , while the Victorian government moved to the Exhibition Building for the next 26 years.
On 2 July 20042004 is a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 2004 calendar), and has also been designated the: International Year of Rice International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition Elections are to be held in 73 co, the Royal Exhibition Building was granted listing as a World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain range, lake, desert, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated for the international World Heritage program administered by UNESCO. The program aims to catalogue, name,, the first building in Australia to be granted this status.
This building is still in use as an exhibition centre on a regular basis. However, it is no longer Melbourne's largest or busiest. The modern equivalent of the Exhibition Building is the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention CentreThe Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre is located in Southbank to the south of the CBD. The Centre was built as a replacement for the Royal Exhibition Building and it consists of the Convention Centre and the Exhibition Centre, both were opened at, located in Southbank to the south of the CBD.