Gold & Governors: 150 years of the Old Treasury Building

Old Treasury Building celebrated its 150th Anniversary during 2012.

JJ Clark

John James Clark was the 19 year old architect of the Old Treasury Building. This fascinating exhibition features beautiful original paintings, drawings and architectural plans of this 'forgotten' 19th century architect who designed many iconic Melbourne, Victorian and interstate buildings.

The Governor

Old Treasury Building has been the city office of the Victorian Governor for the past 150 years. The Governor meets each week in the Executive Council Chamber with members of the Executive Council to sign legislation. Discover the interesting stories of the Governor and the many people who have worked here in the Old Treasury Building over the past 150 years.

A Centre of Celebration

The building was regularly decorated on important state occasions. It was the 'city square' of the 19th century. Up to 40,000 people would gather outside the Old Treasury Building to both welcome and farewell the Governors.

View the commemorative DVD "Lost Stories of the Old Treasury Building" from the 150th anniversary. This project was funded by a grant from the Australian Federal Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

The Opening

The exhibition opening was a memorable occasion attended by the Governor of Victoria, three former Governors and the Premier.  The Chief Justice, the State Architect, City of Melbourne Councillors and representatives of various Government Departments were also in attendance.

In the image below, from left to right: Councillor Ken Ong, Professor David de Kretser AC, Ms Diane Gardiner AM, Mr David Brown, The Honourable Alex Chernov AC QC, Dr Andrew Dodd, Mr Jeff Byrne, The Honourable Ted Baillieu, The Honourable John Cain, Mr John Landy AC CVO MBE