Russell Street is a main street and thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly north-south and was laid out as a core feature of the Hoddle Grid in 1837.[1]
Russell Street | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Former Russell Street Police Headquarters | |
 | |
  Russell Street | |
| Coordinates | |
| General information | |
| Type | Street |
| Length | 1.1 km (0.7 mi) |
| Opened | 1837 |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Lygon Street Carlton, Victoria |
| South end | Brunton Avenue Melbourne CBD |
| Location(s) | |
| LGA(s) | Carlton City of Melbourne |
| Suburb(s) | Carlton Melbourne CBD |
Russell Street is named after John Russell, British Home Secretary and leader of the House of Commons in Lord Melbourne's cabinet. Russell himself was also a future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[2][3]
Geography
editRussell Street runs roughly north-south and is located one block east of the city's central thoroughfare of Swanston Street.
At its southern end, the street intersects with Flinders Street and Federation Square, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street, the main street of Melbourne's Little Italy.
Notable buildings
editPresent
editRussell Street is lined with established trees and is the home of numerous public amenities and buildings. Noteworthy structures include:
The street is also home to many buildings featured on the Victorian Heritage Register or classified by the National Trust of Australia, including:
- Old Melbourne Gaol (1845)
- Duke of Wellington Hotel (1850)
- State Library of Victoria (1854)
- Scots' Church (1874)
- Eight Hour Day Monument, commemorating Melbourne's labour movement to adopt the 8 hour working day (1903)[4]
- City Watch House (1909)
- Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court (1914)
- Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy (1927)
- Former Russell Street Police Headquarters (1943)
- Former Russell Street Telephone Exchange & Post Office (1954)
- Total House (1965)
- Several Underground Public conveniences
Past
editSavoy Theatre
editThe Savoy Theatre was a cinema located at 172 Russell Street, originally built as a temperance hall in 1872, and was quite a grand building, with marble tiled entrance. Fullers Theatres Limited leased the building,[5] and in 1934 it was converted into a theatre, with stalls and circle levels and a stage around 17 ft (5.2 m) deep. The theatre was named the Imperial Theatre, but renamed Savoy Theatre in May 1939[6][7] by the lessees Continental Film Art Theatre of Australia who decided to focus exclusively on foreign films,[5] mostly European post-war films with English sub-titles.[6] The first film shown under the new name was the French film La Kermesse Baroque (The Heroic Sex).[7] Filmmaker Fred Schepisi had his first exposure to classic post-war European films such as The Wages of Fear, Rocco and His Brothers, and Bicycle Thieves at the Savoy, when he was a teenager, sparking his interest in films.[8]
Manager Peter Dawson, along with Frank Selleck, later ran the Sydney Savoy Theatre as well.[5] In 1963 the Savoy Theatre was closed and demolished. A multi-storey car park, which also contained a theatre (first named Lido Theatre, later Red Garter and then Total Theatre) was built on the site.[6]
Russell Street bombing (1986)
editOn 27 March 1986, a car bomb was detonated on Russell Street near the Police Headquarters. Constable Angela Taylor died and 21 others were injured in what was described as a ‘revenge attack' on Melbourne police, perpetrated by Stanley Taylor and Craig Minogue.[9]
Transport
editRusell street is partly serviced by Kinetic Melbourne bus routes 200 and 207.
Whilst the street does not have tram lines or railway stations located on it, it is easily reached by public transport via Parliament, Flinders Street and Melbourne Central stations. It also intersects with several streets which are serviced by Melbourne tramlines, including Victoria Street, La Trobe Street, Bourke Street, Collins Street and Flinders Street.
References
edit- ^ "Melbourne city grid | Ergo". ergo.slv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ "Street Names - Entry - eMelbourne - The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online". Encyclopedia of Melbourne. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "How Melbourne's city lanes and streets got their names". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ Design, UBC Web. "Eight Hour Day Monument | Monument Australia". monumentaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ a b c "1. Origins". The Savoy Theatre. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Roe, Ken. "Savoy Theatre in Melbourne, AU". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Savoy Theatre". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 28, 944. Victoria, Australia. 30 May 1939. p. 2. Retrieved 11 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Bailey, Michael (20 June 2021). "81, film director Fred Schepisi is fighting fit to keep his own cinematic style". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Russell Street Bombing | Ergo". ergo.slv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
External links
edit
Media related to Russell Street, Melbourne at Wikimedia Commons