Carnegie Building Basement & Caretaker’s Flat

Architect: Alan Cameron Walker, Douglas Salier (1903–07)

Rooms Beneath Rooms

Step inside one of Hobart’s most layered buildings and discover the stories hidden beneath its grand exterior.

The Carnegie Building was home to Hobart’s first public library, made possible through funding from Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. But the story of the library began much earlier.

Back in 1860, Hobart City Council borrowed money to build the Town Hall, on the condition that a library would be included. More than a decade later, the library finally opened within the Town Hall, and by 1902 it had become a much-loved part of city life, attracting more than 100,000 users.

The impressive Carnegie Building followed, opening in 1907. Since the library moved to Murray Street in 1960, the building has continued to evolve, serving as Council offices, an art gallery and, today, the home of the Maritime Museum of Tasmania.

Come and have a look inside, explore the building’s changing spaces and discover how one place can hold so many different chapters of Hobart’s story.

Open: Sat 7 Nov, 1.00pm – 4.00pm