RMIT Building 11

RMIT Building 11, also informally known as RMIT Spiritual Centre, is a building located at the City campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), and is part of the Old Melbourne Gaol.[1] The centre is a place for students to practise mindful meditation, which is an activity organised by the RMIT Chaplaincy Service.[2]

RMIT Building 11
RMIT Building 11 (Spiritual Centre)
Spiritual Centre chapel and courtyard from the Franklin Street entrance
General information
TypeEducation, worship
Architectural styleItalianate
LocationCorner Franklin and Victoria streets, Melbourne
Address377 Russell Street
Town or cityMelbourne, Victoria
CountryAustralia
Construction started1860
Completed1861
OwnerRMIT
Design and construction
Architect(s)H.A. Williams, J.J. Clark and Gustav Joachimi
Architecture firmVictorian Public Works Department
Renovating team
Architect(s)Khalid Bouden
Renovating firmDesypher

History

The building was built in 1860 as the chapel of the Old Melbourne Gaol. It was part of the "North Wing" of the gaol, and today is one of the few remaining facilities of the complex. It became part of RMIT after the gaol's decommissioning in 1929.[3] The other remaining facilities include: the main entrance gates, the governor's residence, female hospital, a service wing and a bathhouse (collectively known today, along with the chapel, as "RMIT Building 11"),[1] and the "East Block" (currently utilised as a museum). The "West Block" of the gaol was demolished to make way for an RMIT expansion, circa 1910,[3] and the large circular panopticon watchtower and male exercise yard were demolished in 1927 for the construction of the Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy (now also part of RMIT).[4]

The building is designated a "notable building" by the Melbourne City Council, and is classified by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria)[1][5] and the Victorian Heritage Register.[6]

  • Main chapel of the RMIT Spiritual Centre
    Main chapel of the RMIT Spiritual Centre
  • Banyan tree growing over a wall in a courtyard of the centre
    Banyan tree growing over a wall in a courtyard of the centre

See also

References
  1. "RMIT Building 11 (Old Melbourne Gaol)". RMIT University. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. "Spiritual Communities". Students - RMIT University. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  3. Old Melbourne Gaol - Background and History Archived 2011-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Dig frees jail ghosts", Herald Sun, 29 September 2008; accessed 30 March 2009.
  5. "The Old Melbourne Gaol – National Trust". National Trust of Australia (Victoria). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  6. "The Old Melbourne Gaol – Victorian Heritage Database". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 5 March 2018.

37°48′29″S 144°57′55″E

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