RMIT Building 11

RMIT Building 11, also informally known as RMIT Spiritual Centre, is a building located at the City campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and is part of the Old Melbourne Gaol. The centre is a place for students to practise mindful meditation, which is an activity organised by the RMIT Chaplaincy Service.

History

The building was built in 1860 as the chapel of the Old Melbourne Gaol. It was part of the "North Wing" of the gaol, and today is one of the few remaining facilities of the complex. It became part of RMIT after the gaol's decommissioning in 1929. The other remaining facilities include: the main entrance gates, the governor's residence, female hospital, a service wing and a bathhouse, and the "East Block". The "West Block" of the gaol was demolished to make way for an RMIT expansion, circa 1910, and the large circular panopticon watchtower and male exercise yard were demolished in 1927 for the construction of the Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy.
The building is designated a "notable building" by the Melbourne City Council, and is classified by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and the Victorian Heritage Register.