Reed. The prominent local horticulturist and landscape designer William Sangster was engaged as a contractor to redevelop the gardens in February 1879. 1880 – Exhibition Building completed for the Melbourne International Exhibition that year. Temporary annexes to house some of the exhibition in the northern section were demolished after the exhibition closed on 30 April 1881. 1888 – Melbourne Centennial Exhibition to celebrate a century of European settlement in Australia. 1891 – The curator's Lodge was completed and lived in by John Guilfoyle. 1901 – First Parliament of Australia opens in the Exhibition Building. The west annex of the Building becomes the site of the Victorian Parliament for the next 27 years. 1919 – buildings became an emergency hospital for influenza epidemic victims 1928 – Perimeter fence removed leaving the bluestone footings. Second World War: the buildings were used by the Royal Australian Air Force. 1948 to 1961 – part of the complex was used as a migrant reception centre. 1999 – Melbourne Museum opens, taking up one sixth of the site. 2001 – Taylor Cullity Lethlean with Mary Jeavons wins a landscape award for design and building a new children's playground of elegant yet robust resolution. The Jury described the design as a distinctive and unified design that respects its historic setting and addresses the demands of creative play for spatial and visual variety. July 2004 – After several years of lobbying by the Melbourne City Council, The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, Melbourne, were inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Suzhou, China. The Exhibition Building is still used for exhibitions, including for the annual Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. The Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, opened in 1996 at Southbank, provides more modern facilities and has become Melbourne's prime location for exhibitions and conventions. Gallery References External links World heritage listing for Carlton Gardens Melbourne City Council – Carlton Gardens Open Space and Recreation – Merit Carlton Gardens Playground World Heritage, World Futures — Restoration of the Western Forecourt of the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Heritage sites in Melbourne Parks in Melbourne World Heritage Sites in Victoria (Australia) Gardens in Victoria (Australia) World's fair sites in Australia Defunct speedway venues in Australia City of Melbourne