Background Arts Centre Melbourne's site has long been associated with arts and entertainment; in the early 20th century it was occupied variously by a permanent circus venue, an amusement park, a cinema and a dance hall. The area was a popular venue featuring the Olympia Dancing Place, the Glaciarium Ice-Skating Rink, a Japanese tea house, Snowden Gardens, the Trocadero and the Princes Court with a miniature train and water-chute. The
Wirth's Circus appeared in 1907 with a 5000-seat auditorium. In the book
A Place Across the River, Vicki Fairfax described the lot as a "oddly shaped piece of land" considered a sacred public spot by the locals. and during the main construction phase from 1979 to 1982 with
Norman Lacy as Minister for the Arts (and Minister of Educational Services). After significant public controversy, political inquiry and financial reassessment, Once the buildings were nearly complete, and with the death of Grounds in 1981,
Academy Award-winning expatriate set designer
John Truscott, was employed to decorate the interiors. His work was constrained only by a requirement to leave elements already constructed, such as Ground's faceted cave-like concert hall interior, to which he applied mineral finishes, and his steel mesh draped ceiling in the
State Theatre, to which he added perforated brass balls. During his tenure, Arts Minister
Norman Lacy was constantly called on to defend the Victorian Arts Centre Trust and its construction program during some highly charged public debates in the parliament. He had to defend the acoustics, the design of the spire, the rejection of the proposed changes to the Concert Hall interiors, the BASS ticketing system of the project, as well as its delays and cost over runs. The Victorian Arts Centre's management and administration was set up under the
Victorian Arts Centre Act 1979 introduced into the Victorian parliament by Minister for the Arts, Norman Lacy. The trustees were appointed by the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the minister. The trust were given responsibility for the operation and programming of the publicly owned performing arts spaces that make up the Victorian Arts Centre – the Theatres Building beneath the Spire, Hamer Hall and the
Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Redevelopment (1981) Soon after the legislation to establish the trust was passed, Norman Lacy and George Fairfax undertook a study trip to North America and Europe to assess administrative arrangements, educational programs and community initiatives at major performing arts centres in
Los Angeles,
San Francisco,
New York,
Washington,
Toronto,
Ottawa,
London and
Paris. The result was the development of Arts Centre Melbourne's management structure during 1981 and a suite of opening and on-going initiatives. The Concert Hall opened in November 1982, while substantial work remained to be done on the Theatres site. The rest of Arts Centre Melbourne was opened progressively in 1984, with the Theatres building officially opened in October that year. This signified the completion of one of the largest public works projects in Victorian history, which had been undertaken over a period of almost twenty-five years. Arts Centre Melbourne is unusual in that its theatres and concert hall are built largely underground. Hamer Hall, situated closest to the river, was initially planned to be almost entirely underground, thus providing a huge open vista between the theatre spire, the river and
Flinders Street railway station. However, construction problems with the foundations, including water seepage, meant the structure had to be raised to three storeys above ground. Similarly, budget constraints meant that Grounds' design for the Theatres Building, which included a copper-clad spire, were shelved, and a shortened un-clad design was substituted. This was eventually replaced with the current "full-height" un-clad spire. By the mid-1990s, signs of deterioration became apparent on the upper spire structure and Arts Centre Melbourne's Trust decided to replace the spire. The new spire was completed in 1996, and reaches , though still based on Grounds' original design. The spire is illuminated with some of
optic fibre tubing, of
neon tubing on the mast and 14,000 incandescent lamps on the spire's skirt. The metal webbing of the spire was inspired by the billowing of a ballerina's
tutu and the
Eiffel Tower.
2000s In early 2008, a
wedge-tailed eagle and
peregrine falcon were utilised to deter groups of
sulphur-crested cockatoos from damaging the spire's electrical fittings and thimble-sized lights. On 1 January 2012 the spire was accidentally set afire by New Year's Eve fireworks. Two sides of the structure were set ablaze by fireworks that apparently discharged improperly, causing flaming debris to fall to the ground. The fire burned for about forty minutes, causing only cosmetic damage to the tower. In February 2016, two protesters climbed the spire of the centre to protest
Nauru detention centre deportations. They stayed on top of the spire for 11 hours, and disrupted a programmed light show. They unfurled a banner reading
#letthemstay. They were not arrested. there are plans for a major upgrade of the theatre, as part of the $1.7 billion
Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation project. ==Building and venues==