A Century Through These Doors
Thursday, 05th June 2025A Century Through These Doors
Since 1927, the main entrance of Melbourne High School has stood as one of the school’s most recognisable and symbolic features. Facing north across the oval with a view toward the Melbourne skyline, the doors represent more than an architectural threshold—they mark a rite of passage for generations of students.
The entrance was designed by Evan Smith, a senior architect with the Public Works Department who contributed to several prominent interwar-era buildings in Victoria. His work blended functional civic design with classical motifs, evident in the MHS entrance’s formal symmetry, carved stone scrollwork, and use of locally forged iron fixtures. The doors themselves are crafted from Tasmanian Oak, selected for both its strength and aesthetic character.
For over 30,000 students, these doors were their first experience of Melbourne High. From the moment they stepped through them in Year 9 to the day they walked out as Year 12 graduates, the entrance bookended a period of profound growth and transformation.
"Walking up those stairs and through the MHS doors felt like entering a world where anything was possible."
The doors have welcomed some of Australia’s most respected public figures—alumni such as philosopher Peter Singer, comedian and social commentator Nazeem Hussain, Nobel Prize–winning neurophysiologist Sir John Eccles, and former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans AC. For them, as for so many others, this entrance marked the beginning of something greater.
The symbolic importance of the doors has remained constant over the decades. That first walk up the stairs has long held opportunity for students and their families. The act of stepping inside signalled not only entry into a school, but into a shared legacy of aspiration, scholarship, and opportunity.
The school’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity is evident in its history of educating students from various cultural backgrounds. In the post-World War II era, Melbourne High School became a place of learning for many children of migrants and refugees who had fled war, famine, and persecution.
The school’s dedication to supporting exceptional students from diverse backgrounds continues today, ensuring they thrive academically and socially.