Wilam Hall (previously Medley Hall) is the smallest residential college of the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Established in 1954, it is situated at 48 Drummond St in Carlton, Victoria, away from the other nine residential colleges in Parkville. It is home to approximately 73 students from around Australia and overseas. Wilam Hall was renamed in 2024 following the govt of the name "Wilam" by the Wurundjeri Council. The residence was previously named Medley Hall in honour of Sir John Medley, a previous Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.
The main building was originally called Benvenuta. It was completed in 1893 for Leah Abrahams, the widow of a small arms dealer. In 1925 Benvenuta was leased to the Commonwealth Government, which transformed it into Arbitration Court Offices. After a period of vacancy the mansion was converted into an Italian club, boasting a ballroom, orchestra, and a regular Sunday boxing match.
Benvenuta also has its share of darker history—a bullet hole in the stained glass window at the top of the main marble staircase is supposedly evidence of criminal activity occurring from 1938, when the property was leased to a North Melbournevigneron.
Benvenuta's ownership passed to the Italian Consulate prior to Italy's participation in World War II. After the war, Benvenuta was given to the University of Melbourne which then renamed it the Drummond Street Hostel.
In 1953 the management was taken over by the University Council, with the first Warden being appointed the following year. In 1955, the hostel was renamed Medley Hall.
On 13 March 2024, the University Council resolved that the name be changed to Wilam Hall, following decades of advocacy that had pointed to the participation of Sir John Medley as a member of the Eugenics Society as reason for a change away from the existing name of Medley Hall.
Wilam Hall is also famous for its appearance in the Nicolas Cage film, Knowing, released in March 2009.
Architecture
The original building was designed in an Italianate Victorian Baroque style by Walter Scott Law. Construction materials and craftsmen were imported from Italy. The construction includes stained glass and over 15 tonnes of marble and steel. It is richly decorated and features miniature statuettes on the parapets.
After its brief closure between 2009 and 2011, Wilam Hall reopened with a new extension behind the original Benvenuta building, allowing for the accommodation of an additional 50 students.
Facilities
While Wilam Hall is the smallest of the residential colleges, its facilities are akin to those of other residential colleges—it has a laundry room with four washing machines and two driers, a lounge room, several dedicated study spaces, a music room with grand piano, and a fully equipped kitchen with TV lounge area, as well as five bathrooms, a kitchenette, and a dining area on each of the three residential floors of the building.
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