History of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is an Australian public university, founded by The Hon. Francis Ormond MLA in 1887, in Melbourne, Victoria.

In 1881, prominent grazier and philanthropist, The Hon. Francis Ormond, proposed that a technical college would serve "useful" to City of Melbourne. Ormond, who had donated the majority of funds towards the foundation of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne, offered £5,000 towards the establishment of a college on the proviso that the public contribute a "like sum".

A considerable sum was raised by the Council of the Melbourne Trades Hall, which rallied support amongst its membership of unions. Construction of the "Working Men's College" then began in 1886, on a site provided by the Colony of Victoria, next to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, and adjacent the Melbourne Public Library on La Trobe Street. The College was officially opened during a gala ceremony on June 4, 1887 and, on the night of its opening, took 320 enrollments which increased to over 1000 in its first 12 months of operation. Ormond, a staunch believer in the values of education and a tireless campaigner for the College, served as its President till his death in 1889.

The College began offering full-time courses in 1899 and was incorporated under the "Companies Act" as a private college in 1904. Around the turn of the century, it began developing courses in engineering, applied science, chemistry, metallurgy and mining. Between the 1900s and the 1920s, the College expanded beyond its foundation building, and constructed two new buildings on nearby Bowen Street, a new Art School and also acquired the neighbouring, and recently decommissioned, Melbourne Gaol site for expansion.

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