Function room at Canvas House

About Canvas House

We are often asked how the name Canvas House was born. People often mistakenly think our name is a subtle reference to the blank canvas nature of the space and its ability to be easily and quickly transformed. In fact when looking for a name, Nash wanted it to reference the history of South Melbourne. The area, now known as South Melbourne was first settled by the Europeans in the 1840s and became known as Emerald Hill. During the Victorian Gold Rush of 1851 a tent city, known as Canvas Town was established and the area soon became home to tens of thousands of migrants from around the world. When working on the design of the space, Nash knew that she needed to incorporate House into the name, and upon learning the history of the area, she knew immediately that Canvas House was not only a way to pay homage, but to celebrate the purpose of the space - bringing people together.