The Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court was the original home of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
's City Court and District Court, as well as their emergency court. The
French Romanesque building is located on the corner of
La Trobe and Russell streets in the
Melbourne city centre
The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...
.
History
It was opened on 20 January 1914,
[Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court and City Watch-house]
RMIT University, retrieved 12 July 2013 and served the City for 81 years, before a new Magistrates' Court building was opened on
William Street in 1995.
Notable trials conducted at the court include that of
Squizzy Taylor
Joseph Theodore Leslie "Squizzy" Taylor (29 June 1888 – 27 October 1927) was an Australian gangster from Melbourne. He appeared repeatedly and sometimes prominently in Melbourne news media because of suspicions, formal accusations and some co ...
Courthouses have occupied the site since 1843.
RMIT
The Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court became part of the neighbouring
City campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
The Melbourne City campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) is located in the city centre of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is sometimes referred to as "RMIT City" and the "RMIT Quarter" of the city in the medi ...
in 1997, and is officially known as RMIT Building 20 (Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court).
RMIT also acquired the Former City Watch-house, located next to the Court, and together they form Building 20. The Court building is currently used for lectures and moot courts, and houses offices for RMIT's administration and Chancellery. The Watch-house building is currently used as a museum.
Architecture
A notable feature of the District Court is the historic wooden canopy located over the seat upon which the Magistrate sits in the main courtroom.
The canopy was taken from old Supreme Court which had originally been located at the site. At the corner of Latrobe Street and Russell Street, in the former main entrance, there are numerous holes in the bricks that were caused by shrapnel from the
Russell Street Bombing that can still be seen today.
Gallery
Image:RMITBuilding20Exterior1.jpg
Image:RMITBuilding20Exterior2.jpg
File:Gargoyle lion.jpg
Image:RMITBuilding20Interior1.jpg
Image:RMITBuilding20Interior2.jpg
File:RMIT University Building 01.jpg
See also
*
Melbourne Magistrates' Court
The Melbourne Magistrates' Court is the largest venue at which the Magistrates' Court of Victoria sits. It is a court in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia that deals with, and dispenses of, a range of criminal and civil matters, including crimin ...
*
Magistrates' Court of Victoria
The Magistrates' Court of Victoria is the lowest court in the Australian state of Victoria.
The court possesses original jurisdiction over summary offences and indictable offences heard summarily, as well as civil claims up to $100,000. ...
*
RMIT City
The Melbourne City campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) is located in the Melbourne central business district, city centre of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is sometimes referred to as "RMIT City" and the " ...
campus, of which the court building is now a part
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melbourne Magistrates' Court, Former
Courthouses in Melbourne
RMIT University buildings
Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne
Buildings and structures in Melbourne City Centre
1914 establishments in Australia
Gothic Revival architecture in Melbourne
Buildings and structures completed in 1914