Athenaeum Theatre

The Athenaeum Theatre on Collins Street is distinguished by its neoclassical, three-story facade, which is crowned by a parapet housing a statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and the arts. Founded in eighteen thirty-nine as the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute, this building remains the oldest cultural institution in the city. Its current appearance dates back to eighteen eighty-six, when architects Smith and Johnson completed the structure, featuring stuccoed pilasters and a bracketed cornice.