Built in 1891, the Rialto Building quickly became one of the most striking symbols of Melbourne’s gold-rush boom.
Designed by architect William Pitt, its ornate neo-gothic façade rose above the city’s bustling financial district. Beside it stood the neighbouring Winfield Building, designed by Richard Speight Jr. and Charles D’Ebro.
Between them runs a narrow bluestone laneway, once a busy trade passage where horse-drawn carts rattled past carrying wool bound for the Yarra wharves.
More than a century later these historic buildings were brought together and reimagined. In 2008 they were transformed into InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto, preserving their grand architecture while creating one of the city’s most distinctive luxury destinations.
Today guests walk the same halls where merchants once traded and fortunes were made.
The Rialto. From gold-rush ambition to modern elegance.
