The original parliament house of Australia,
now referred to as Old Parliament House,
or The National Portrait Gallery. and
formerly known as the Provisional Parliament
House, served as the official Parliament
House of the Commonwealth of Australia
from 1927 to 1988. Federal Parliament
relocated to the new capital Canberra
from 9 May 1927. Before 1927, Federal
Parliament met in the Victorian Parliament
building. After 1988, Parliament was conducted
at the new Parliament House, which was
officially opened during Australia's bicentenary
celebrations. The building was designed
by John Smith Murdoch, chief architect
for the Commonwealth of Australia. The
architectural style of the building is
Inter-war stripped classical. The building
does not include classical architectural
elements such as columns, entablatures
or pediments, but does have the ordiliness
and symmetry associated with Neoclassical
architecture. The building's design was,
and is, considered a success because of
the clarity of shape, regular composition,
dazzling whiteness and pleasantly human
scale.
Since
the retirement of Old Parliament House
as the official place of business for
Australia's federal Parliament, the building
has fulfilled a variety of uses. As well
as having frequent exhibitions on matters
of parliamentary history, Old Parliament
House acts as the National Portrait Gallery,
containing portraits of past and present
Prime Ministers and famous busts, including
a death mask of Ned Kelly. It also contains
a cafe and gift shop and functions and
wedding receptions are held there.
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