272-306 DUDLEY STREET WEST MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
File Number
HE/13/3005 HCV
Level
Registered
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Festival Hall
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West Melbourne Stadium Later
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Diagram 2386.JPG
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1955, Upper Level Plan.jpg
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1955, Ground Floor Plan.jpg
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1955, Elevations.jpg
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1955, Sections.jpg
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1955, Section.jpg
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c1957.jpg
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c1956, showing boxing ring.jpg
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Interior.jpg
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1982, Dudley Street.jpg
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2018, detail of facade.jpg
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2018, detail of facade 1.jpg
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2018, detail of facade 2.jpg
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2018, underside of awning.jpg
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2018, north west corner.jpg
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2018, interior.jpg
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2018, rear bleachers.jpg
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2018, balcony seating.jpg
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2018, Dudley Street from
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2018, Dudley Street from
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2018, Rosslyn Street
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2018, east elevation from
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2018, details showing concrete
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2018, Dudley Street
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1956, interior nearing
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Dudly Street elevation soon
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1956, Gymnastics, Olympic
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1956, Gymnastics, Olymic Games
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1956, Gymnastics, Olymic Games
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1957, ad in Arts and
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2018, Dudley Street from
Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The cultural heritage significance of Festival Hall at 202-306 Dudley Street, West Melbourne, lies in its historical and social significance as Victoria's principal boxing, wrestling and live music venue in the second half of the twentieth century. The significance of the place is embodied in the external and internal form and fabric of the place. Festival Hall is notably and historically a highly flexible space, allowing it to service a number of dynamic communities and usages.
DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
Festival Hall is a large, unadorned, rectangular indoor sporting and entertainment stadium in West Melbourne. The building is constructed of a steel frame infilled with brick and precast concrete panels. Internally, the stadium comprises a central timber floor with a simple stage to the north, tiers of seating to the west and east, and a balcony to the south. A vast stadium space dominates the interior of the building. This space has historically been reconfigured to accommodate different uses.
HISTORY SUMMARY
Festival Hall, also known as West Melbourne Stadium, was constructed in 1955, replacing the 1913 West Melbourne Stadium. Festival Hall and its predecessor were the principal boxing and wrestling venues in Victoria from 1913 until at least the late 1970s. Festival Hall was a principal live music venue in Victoria from the 1950s until the 1980s and hosted some of the most important national and international musicians of that era.
How is it significant?
Festival Hall is of historical and social significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criteria for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register:
Criterion A
Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria's cultural history.
Criterion G
Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
Why is it significant?
Festival Hall is significant at the State level for the following reasons:
Festival Hall is historically significant as Victoria's principal purpose-built boxing and wrestling venue. Since the late nineteenth century, boxing has been a highly popular spectator sport in Australia attracting crowds in the thousands with many more watching televised matches since the 1960s. Festival Hall - and the 1913 West Melbourne Stadium that it replaced - was the home of Victorian boxing throughout much of the twentieth century, earning it the name "The House of Stoush". Festival Hall hosted the boxing and gymnastics for the 1956 Olympic Games and was the venue for bouts of key national and international athletes including Lionel Rose, Johnny Famechon, Anthony Mundine, Lester Ellis and Barry Michaels. Festival Hall was the venue for the televised 'TV Ringside' (1966-75) and 'World Championship Wrestling' (1964-78) and hosted Lionel Rose's State Funeral in 2011. Festival Hall remains as the only purpose-built boxing and wrestling venue in Victoria. [Criterion A]
Festival Hall is historically significant as one of Victoria's primary live music venues since its opening in 1955 and as the principal venue in Victoria for large-scale live music performances from the late 1950s until the 1980s. Festival Hall played a key role in the social evolution of Victorian society in the post-war period by exposing thousands of patrons to the "new wave" of big production live music. Festival Hall hosted some of the biggest national and international acts of the day including the Beatles, Buddy Holly, Neil Young, The Kinks and Frank Sinatra. [Criterion A]
Festival Hall is socially significant for its association with the live music industry in Victoria. The association between Festival Hall and the Victorian live music community is particularly strong due to the length of the association and the close relationship between the place, the live music community and the establishment and growth of the live music industry in the State. [Criterion G]
Festival Hall is socially significant for its association with the boxing and wrestling community in Victoria. As the site of Victoria's principal boxing and wrestling venue since 1913, the association between Festival Hall and the boxing and wrestling communities in Victoria is particularly strong. While the use of the place for boxing and wrestling has declined since the late 1970s, it remains affectionately known as "The House of Stoush" and continues to be used by the wrestling community for events. The association between the place and the boxing community has more recently been celebrated with Festival Hall being the venue for champion boxer Lionel Rose's State Funeral (in 2011). [Criterion G]
