Designed By and For Women: the Lyceum Club

Join us during Melbourne Design Week for a special collection viewing of Berenice Harris' archive of drawings, correspondence and reports relating to the Lyceum Club in Ridgeway Place Melbourne. 

When the modernist architect (Edythe) Ellison Harvie relinquished her role as the Club's architect, architect Berenice Harris became her successor advising the Club on its development from the mid-1970s until 1987.  Harris' archive tell the story of the Club's commitment to supporting women in architecture and design by engaging them as consultants and architects for its premises in Ridgeway Place.

Since its founding in 1912 the aim of the Lyceum Club has been to provide generations of women with a safe and comfortable place to meet in the city, to forge and sustain friendships and to engage in intellectual and cultural pursuits in an apolitical, non-sectarian, warm and welcoming environment. The Club's striking modern building in Ridgeway Place was designed in 1957 by Stephenson & Turner, Principal Architect Ellison Harvie. Since then a number of prominent architects have contributed to its refurbishment and expansion, including Berenice Harris and Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA).

During the collection viewing you will have the opportunity to view drawings, photographs, correspondence and other records assembled by Berenice Harris.  There'll also be an exhibition in about the Lyceum Club curated by RMIT University's Masters of the Communication Design students. 

The collection viewing will be followed by a conversation between Kerstin Thompson, Eli Giannini and Julie Willis about the various transformations of the Club through the past 70 years.  Numbers are limited for the exhibition and collection viewing.  Please book separately for the conversation at 5:30pm in the RMIT Design Hub.