Arts Centre Melbourne, Performing arts center in Southbank, Australia
Arts Centre Melbourne is a performing arts complex on the Yarra River in Southbank, with Hamer Hall set in the riverbank and the Theatres Building rising above ground beneath a 162-metre steel lattice spire. The spire's flared base curves outward over the building, and the State Theatre, Playhouse and Fairfax Studio sit inside.
Architect Roy Grounds designed the complex in the 1960s, and construction began in 1973. The opening took place in 1984 after more than a decade of building work.
The complex takes its name from the Victorian Arts Centre Trust, created by the Victorian Arts Centre Act 1979. The Playhouse foyer holds an exhibition of Aboriginal Australian art, and in the concert hall basement visitors can try on costumes donated after productions such as My Fair Lady, Carmen and The Phantom of the Opera.
Guided tours run daily and cover public areas and theater halls, with expanded backstage routes available on Sundays. Entry to foyer areas is free and allows visitors to walk through without a ticket.
The spire was meant to rise 115 metres, and its complexity made it one of the first structures in Australia to rely on computer-aided design. After public controversy, Arts Minister Norman Lacy installed the lightning conductor rod at its pinnacle on 20 October 1981.
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