The Victorian Arts Centre is a cultural complex located in Melbourne, consisting of theatres and a concert hall. It is here the Australian Ballet Company, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera House and the Melbourne Theatre regularly performs concerts and performances.
The site of the Arts Centre today has always been associated with the arts and entertainment, having previously housed circus, theatre, rollerdrome, cinema and dance club. After World War II, it was It was decided that Melbourne needed the concept of a single cultural centre, but the development and approval of the project took almost 15 years. Only in 1960 Roy Grounds was selected as the architect for the complex, and construction began in 1973. began in 1973 and lasted more than 10 years. In 1982, on the banks of the Yarra River on St Kilda Street, the Hammer Hall concert hall was opened, followed two years later by the Theatre Building.
What is unusual about the Arts Centre is that both the concert hall and the Theatre Building are housed mostly underground. Hammer Hall, located closer to the river, was originally planned to be placed almost entirely underground to provide panoramic view between the theatre, the river and Flinders Street Station. However, problems with the foundations, and the building had to be raised three storeys above ground.
The arts centre consists of several divisions. The largest of these largest of these is the Hammer Hall concert hall. It is a separate building that also houses the small Black Box Theatre. The other divisions are the State Theatre, the Drama Theatre, and the Fairfax Studio - are housed in the Theatre in the Theatre Building. In addition, the so-called "Sidney Meyer Music Bowl," an outdoor venue an open-air venue that can hold up to 15,000 people, is also is also under the administration of the Arts Centre. This stadium hosts a variety of musical concerts and shows.
Roy Grounds' design called for the erection of a huge 115 metre spire, which was one of Australia's first computer-aided structures, computer-aided design in Australia. The spire was erected in 1981, but by the mid-1990s the metal was already showing signs of wear and tear. The new spire, which is 162 metres high and exactly the same design as the previous one, was erected in 1996. The metal "web" of the spire is reminiscent a ballerina's tutu and the Eiffel Tower at the same time.
