Melbourne Athenaeum, Theatre and performing arts center in Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia
The Melbourne Athenaeum is a three-story neoclassical building on Collins Street topped with a Minerva statue. Inside, it houses a main theatre with around 880 seats, a smaller studio theatre for performances, a restaurant, and a membership library.
The institution was founded in 1839 as the Melbourne Mechanics Institute, serving as the city's first cultural establishment focused on education and public entertainment. Over time it evolved into a major performing arts venue that continues to serve Melbourne's cultural needs.
The name comes from Athena, the goddess of reason, wisdom, arts and literature, whose statue by Richard Kretzschmar stands in the parapet niche; it was modelled on the Vatican's Minerva and paid for by Alderman Thomas Moubray's gift of 100 guineas. The upstairs studio theatre, "Ath 2", was carved out of the former art gallery by the Melbourne Theatre Company and later hosted The Last Laugh Comedy Club after it moved from North Melbourne.
The Athenaeum stands at 188 Collins Street, opposite the Regent Theatre in the East End Theatre District, so it is reached on foot from the Collins Street tram stops. The main proscenium arch theatre seats 880 across three levels, with the smaller studio theatre upstairs. A restaurant occupies part of the building, so diners and theatregoers use the same entrance.
The venue screened the premiere of The Story of the Kelly Gang in 1906, a landmark moment in Australian cinema history. This film is considered one of the earliest narrative feature films and represents a turning point in how cinema developed internationally.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,374 contributors worldwide.
