Introduction to the Royal Melbourne Exhibition Hall: The Royal Melbourne Exhibition Building was built in 1880. It is an antique and beautiful building. It was the venue for the World Expo from 1880 to 1881. It is also the only listed building in Australia. Buildings included in the United Nations World Cultural Heritage List. . The Royal Exhibition Hall in Melbourne, a building that combines the styles of Byzantine architecture, ancient Roman architecture, and Italian Renaissance architecture, received 1.3 million visitors to the World Expo within eight months that year. Amazingly, the building is still used as an exhibition venue, but for heritage conservation reasons the frequency of use is now much reduced.