The Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court was the original home of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
's City Court and District Court, as well as their emergency court. The
French Romanesque
Romanesque architecture appeared in France at the end of the 10th century, with the development of feudal society and the rise and spread of monastic orders, particularly the Benedictines, who built many important abbeys and monasteries in the st ...
building is located on the corner of
La Trobe and
Russell streets in the
Melbourne central business district
The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known as "the City" or "the CBD", and gazetted simply as Melbourne) is the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, the CBD had a population of 54,941, and is ...
.
History
It was opened on 20 January 1914,
[Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court and City Watch-house]
RMIT University
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...
, 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 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 used to accommodate workspace for RMIT's administration. 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 La Trobe 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 crimina ...
*
Magistrates' Court of Victoria
The Magistrates' Court of Victoria is the lowest court in the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria.
The court possesses original jurisdiction over summary offences and indictable offence, in ...
*
RMIT City
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 ...
campus, of which the court building is now a part
References
{{Melbourne landmarks
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