Albert Hall, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Abstract

View from Commonwealth Avenue of Canberra's Assembly Hall, as it was originally called. The Hall was opened on 10 March 1928 by Prime Minister Stanley Bruce. He re-named it Albert Hall in honour of Albert, Duke of York who had opened Parliament and the London Albert Hall, centre of British musical culture. Until 1965 when the Canberra Theatre Centre opened, Albert Hall was Canberra's main venue for concerts, dances and other occasions. Federal Capital Commission architect John Kirkpatrick, assisted by Robert Casboulte and Henry Rolland, designed it in the Classical Revival style. It features a Roman-tiled hipped roof, Ionic pilasters and roundel medallion ornaments under the eaves. The building's symmetrical front façade boasts a porte-cochere entrance large enough for vehicle access. This picture shows the building in its original stone colour, which has since been over-painted in white. The landscaping includes Atlantic cedars (Cedrus atlantica), lawns, rose beds and a sundial, set within a backdrop of trees. The sundial stands on a pedestal that was once part of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, UK. A parking meter is installed to the right of the porte-cochere.This photograph is from an album that was held at the London office of the Australian National University over the period 1949 to 1952. The album was used to inform prospective staff about Canberra. These images are part of the series produced by the Department of Information and kept at the National Archives of Australia in Canberra. National Archives holdings in this series have gaps and some images may be held only at the ANU Archives.