 Immigration Museum in Old Customs House | |
 | |
| Established | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°49′09″S 144°57′37″E / 37.8191°S 144.9604°E |
| Type | Culture museum |
| Website | museumvictoria |
The Immigration Museum focuses on Melbourne and Victoria’s immigration history and celebrates the diversity of the community through shared storytelling. Located on Flinders Street in Melbourne, Victoria in the Old Customs House, the heritage building was a reflection of vastly expanded trade and soaring revenue from the goldrush.
Architects where Peter Kerr, with additional input by J.J. Clark and Arthur Ebden Johnson, with construction between 1855 and 1876, the result one of Melbourne's grand buildings.The museum's most important space, the Long Room, is a notable piece of Renaissance Revival architecture.[1]
The site was listed in 1948 as one of the key sites for the modernisation of Melbourne.[2] An 11 storey £750,000 Customs House office tower was proposed,[2] however did not proceed.
The museum was founded in 1998, and is a division of Museums Victoria, which administers the cultural and scientific collections of the State of Victoria. Its sister museums are Melbourne Museum (including the Royal Exhibition Building) and Scienceworks Museum.
In addition to its work on documenting immigration history, the museum also hosts various travelling exhibitions, and also provides educational programs. The courtyard of the museum is utilised to host community festivals which are an amalgamation of food, music and culture. It contains the Tribute Garden which honours immigrants from more than 90 countries.[3]
