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Original Prahran Mechanics’ Institute building, 259-261 Chapel Street |
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The building at 259-261 Chapel Street was opened by the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly in 1856, and on the opening night Mr Arthur Orlebar, a school inspector, gave a speech which was later printed in the Argus. The Institute had an enthusiastic beginning. Lectures and readings were conducted regularly, and it served as a meeting place for the community, the area’s first library service, and the first Prahran Council chamber. The Prahran Town Hall was opened in 1861 and began to take on some of the functions of the Mechanics’ Institute. The free library was opened at the Town Hall in the same year. The two libraries were in direct competition until the 1980s when the Institute decided to specialise in Victorian history. Gradually the regular lectures dropped off, and more fundraising activities were held to keep the Institute afloat. The draughts and chess clubs ran |
well and classes in shorthand and French were conducted in the building in the 1860s. The Committee were in and out of court throughout 1868 as W.J. Allen, dismissed Secretary refused to leave the Secretary’s residence on the top floor of the Chapel Street building. It brought Institute operations to a standstill. Ultimately, part of the roof was removed so as to make the building unlivable for Allen. Classes resumed in the 1870s in the form of a School of Art and Design, but dire financial circumstances meant that the building needed to be leased out in order to make enough money to pay debts. (Source: National Library of Australia. Mechanics Institute, Prahran, Victoria, 19th century, Identifier: nla.pic-an14133063.) |
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