Meat Market

Architect: George Johnson 1880

City of Melbourne | C06

Building Description

Meat Market has come a long way since its early days as the centre of Melbourne’s wholesale meat trade in 1880. Now a hub for creative arts and cultural events, Meat Market houses a list of talented creative industry professionals and facilitates Melbourne’s hottest events. In 1874, a group of butchers founded their own Victoria Meat Market on Elizabeth Street and demand quickly outgrew their space. Commissioning architect George Johnson, Meat Market was unveiled in 1880. The centre of Melbourne’s meat trade for almost 100 years, Meat Market was in Operation until 1974. Recognising the historic value of the building, Meat Market was purchased by the State of Victoria’s former Arts Victoria body. The building opened as a craft centre in 1979 and started being used as a performing arts space in 1998. Following renovations, the City of Melbourne’s Arts Department took over management in 2005. With 50 arts businesses and individuals now operating from the site, Meat Market is an important hub for arts development and presentation within Melbourne’s thriving arts scene. Now an historic and iconic performing arts and events space, Meat Market accommodates a range of events across its Flat Floor Pavilion, Cobblestone Pavilion, Meeting Room, Old Cafe and Stables.

What's On

During guided tours discover what this bustling marketplace was like in the peak of Meat Market’s history, uncover floor plans and historic photographs, and learn about the architect and builder and how this fascinating building came to be.

Location