Albert Hall, Canberra – Fact sheet 250

An ‘Assembly Hall’ for the national capital was a priority as a place for civic and cultural activities to nurture the new city. Construction of the Hall commenced in July 1927 and it was officially opened on 10 March 1928 by Prime Minister Stanley Melbourne Bruce, who declared it the ‘centre from which will radiate all those aspirations that are truly national’.

As Canberra’s only performing arts venue for its first 40 years, Albert Hall influenced the growth of flourishing musical, operatic and dramatic societies, such as the Society for Arts and Literature, Canberra Relief Society and Canberra Repertory Society. It was also the venue for tours by the Royal Ballet and the Australian Ballet, and even housed exhibitions of paintings and sculpture before a national gallery emerged.

On a civic level, Albert Hall was used for many formal public assemblies. The first such event was the British Empire Forestry Conference held in September 1928. During World War II, Albert Hall was the venue for Red Cross fundraisers and in 1945, the unforgettable site of the celebrations of the declaration of peace. In the late 1940s, the first graduation ceremonies of the new Australian National University College were held there. On 3 February 1949, Immigration Minister Arthur Calwell, Mr Justice Simpson and Prime Minister Ben Chifley officiated at Australia’s first citizenship ceremony, held in Albert Hall, which was also the venue for annual Australian citizenship conventions.

In 1979, Albert Hall was classified by the National Trust of Australia (ACT) and in 1991 it was included on the ACT Heritage Register. In 2008, Albert Hall celebrated 80 years.

Records relating to Albert Hall

The Archives in Canberra holds a considerable range of records including files, photographs, and architectural plans and drawings relating to the construction, maintenance, administration and management of events. Management of Albert Hall transferred from the federal government to the ACT Government in 1988.

Correspondence files

	Title or description of record	Date range	Series number
	Assembly Hall Canberra – construction of	1926	A1, 1926/3542
	Assembly Hall Commonwealth Avenue	1926–27	A281, DGW1927/211
	Halls – Albert Hall	1928	CP698/9, 46/5 part 1
	Albert Hall – repairs and sundry services	1928	CP698/9, 46/5 part 2
	Albert Hall – caretaking etc	1928	CP698/9, 46/6
	Letting of Albert Hall for picture show purposes	1930–32	A430, G1214
	Albert Hall, Canberra – ACT general administration	1933–57	A431, 1953/2064
	Gift of plinth for use as sundial base	1935–38	A1, 1937/12238
	Albert Hall – catering and refreshment rights	1937–39	A659, 1939/1/2806
	Albert Hall – Caretakers Cottage	1938–40	A1, 1938/9768
	Albert Hall Publication of Allocated Bookings	1945–46	A431, 1946/1922
	Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – High Commissioner's reception – Albert Hall, June 1953	1950–53	A3522, 8/31
	Royal tour 1954 – Civic ball at Albert Hall	1953–54	A462, 825/2/54
	Personal papers of Prime Minister Harold Holt – opening of 1965 Australian Citizenship Convention	1965	M2607, 107