The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum is an art and cultural hub in the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1839, it is the city's oldest cultural institution. Its building on Collins Street in the

East End Theatre District The East End Theatre District is a precinct within the Melbourne central business district, and is bounded by Spring Street, Flinders Street, Swanston Street and Lonsdale Street. The district is home to seven major theatres, including the Princ ...

sits opposite the Regent Theatre, and currently consists of a main theatre, a smaller studio theatre, a restaurant and a

subscription library A subscription library (also membership library or independent library) is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a public library, access is often restricted to members, but access rights c ...

. It has also served as a mechanics' institute, an art exhibition space, and a cinema. The building was added to the National Trust's Register of Historic Buildings in 1981 and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

History

Early history

The first President was Captain William Lonsdale, the first Patron was the Superintendent of Port Phillip, Charles La Trobe and the first books were donated by Vice-President

Henry Fyshe Gisborne Henry Fyshe Gisborne (1813–1841) was the first Commissioner for Crown Lands of the Port Phillip District, founder of Flemington Racecourse and petitioner for Victoria's separation from New South Wales. Early career Henry Fyshe Gisborne was t ...

. Originally called the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute, it was renamed in 1846 to the Melbourne Mechanics' Institution and School of Arts. The building at 188 Collins Street was completed in 1842. The Melbourne City Council met in the building until 1852 when the Melbourne Town Hall was built. The Institution changed its name to the Melbourne Athenaeum in 1872. At that time, as now, a focal point was the library. In 1877, membership was 1,681 and in 1879 there were 30,000 visits to the library. In 1880 it was reported 'that the floor of the large hall was the only one in Melbourne expressly constructed for dancing'. The front of the building was rebuilt in 1885 and 1886. Among the office bearers of the institution in the nineteenth century was the author Marcus Clarke who was the chairman of the library committee in 1877.

Theatre and cinema

In October 1896, the first movie was shown in the Athenaeum Hall. This may not have been the first in Australia however, as a cinematograph was being demonstrated at the

Melbourne Opera House The Tivoli Theatre was a major performing arts venue in Melbourne's East End Theatre District, located at 249 Bourke Street. The theatre's origins dated from 1866, with various remodelling and rebuilding throughout its history. Its final building o ...

in August. On 26 January 1901 ''Life in Our Navy'', a 60,000 foot film of life on HMS ''Jupiter'', was shown by

G. H. Snazelle George Harry "Snazzy" Snazelle (1848 – 17 May 1912) was an English singer and raconteur who enjoyed a great popularity in Australia. History Born George Henry Snazel in Sydenham, London, Sydenham, Surrey in 1848 or London in 1850, by his own ...

, who provided additional entertainment. The Hall became a regular venue for screening films and the premiere of '' The Story of the Kelly Gang'' by the Tait brothers, the world's first dramatic feature film, was at the Athenaeum in 1906. The theatre in its present form, a proscenium arch theatre with 880 seats on three levels, was created in 1924, designed by Henry Eli White. Renamed the Athenaeum Theatre, it was the first venue in Australia to screen talking pictures, presenting '' The Jazz Singer'' in February 1929. From the 1920s to the early 1970s, the theatre was mainly used as a cinema. The Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) leased the theatre from 1976 to 1985 when the lease was taken over by various entrepreneurs who formed AT Management in 1997. The upstairs studio theatre ("Ath 2"), created from the former art gallery by the MTC, has been used as a theatre space and the venue for The Last Laugh Comedy Club after it moved from North Melbourne.

Art gallery

The Athenaeum housed a small museum in its early days and then an art gallery. The gallery hosted the first exhibition of Frederick McCubbin's '' The Pioneer'' in 1904, and in 1918, the Australian tonalists staged their first group exhibition there. 'Jock' Frater held his first solo show there in 1923, marking his break from the Tonalists. The gallery also showed paintings by

Rupert Bunny Rupert Charles Wulsten Bunny (29 September 186425 May 1947) was an Australian painter. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, he achieved success and critical acclaim as an expatriate in '' fin-de-siècle'' Paris. He gained an honourable mentio ...

Hans Heysen Sir Hans Heysen (8 October 18772 July 1968) was a German-born Australian artist. He became a household name for his watercolours of monumental Australian gum trees. He is one of Australia's best known landscape painters. Heysen also produced ...

, Albert Namatjira, Tom Roberts, John Rowell,

Ernest Buckmaster Ernest William Buckmaster (1897–1968) was an Australian artist born in Victoria. He won the Archibald Prize in 1932 with a portrait of Sir William Irvine. He also served as an Australian war artist during World War II. Life and career Buckm ...

Constance Stokes Constance Stokes (née Parkin, 22 February 1906 – 14 July 1991) was an Australian modernist painter who worked in Victoria. She trained at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School until 1929, winning a scholarship to continue her study at ...

and Arthur Streeton, before closing in 1971. The gallery also hosted talks by the Melbourne Society of Women Painters, including one in 1935 at which

Mary Cecil Allen Mary Cecil Allen (2 September 18937 April 1962) was an Australian artist, writer and lecturer. She lived most of her adult life in America, where she was known as Cecil Allen. Allen initially painted landscapes and portraits in her early career ...

spoke.

Subscription library

Membership of the Athenaeum's subscription library peaked at 7,579 in 1950, after the

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

ceased lending of its books in 1939. Membership reduced over the subsequent decades to 1,600 by the mid-1980s, and 750 by the late 2000s. Membership is now increasing.

Today

Today, the Athenaeum Theatre is used for theatre, comedy and music performances, including as a principal venue for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne Opera. The Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas presents discussions and talks at the theatre. The subscription library has a 30,000-strong collection and hosts regular events, talks, book clubs and a screen club.

References

Time-Line History of the Melbourne Athenaeum
*''The Melbourne Athenaeum, a short history'', 2001.

External links

Athenaeum Theatre website

Melbourne Athenaeum website

Melbourne Athenaeum archives website
* {{Authority control Libraries in Melbourne Theatres in Melbourne Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne Organisations based in Melbourne Victorian architecture in Victoria (Australia) Subscription libraries in Australia Collins Street, Melbourne Buildings and structures in Melbourne City Centre Landmarks in Melbourne