The Melbourne Athenaeum, Inc
The 167 year old Melbourne Athenaeum, Inc. is Victoria's oldest cultural institution.
Established in 1839 the heritage-listed building, originally the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute, has been home to a hall for hire, museum, meetings rooms, cinema, art gallery, theatre spaces and the Melbourne Athenaeum library and reading rooms.
Performers at the Athenaeum included Dame Nellie Melba and Mark Twain. The cinema was the venue for the first showing in Victoria of the first feature film, the Kelly Gang, and the first talkie or motion picture with synchronized sound, The Jazz Singer.
In the 1930's the Athenaeum was the home of the Best of British Cinema. In the 1970's the theatre was home for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
Today the building houses the Melbourne Athenaeum Library, the Athenaeum Theatre, the Comedy Club, a Ticketmaster booking office, the popular European-inspired Bistro D'Orsay, the Opal Gallery (selling opals, other fine jewellery and art), and the subscription-based Melbourne Athenaeum Library.
The library's 60,000 volumes include biography, travel, history, cookery and gardening, science fiction, fantasy, romance and detective fiction. There is also a collection of newspapers and journals, and a children's section.
Prospective members and tourists are welcome to visit the library and enjoy its atmosphere.
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Phone: 03 9650 3100 Fax: 03 9654 9776 |
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