David Mitchell (builder)

David Mitchell (16 February 1829 – 25 March 1916) was a Scottish-Australian builder. He was born in Forfarshire, Scotland. He left for Australia, arriving in Melbourne on 24 July 1852.

Mitchell is noted for building Scots' Church, Melbourne, St Patrick's Cathedral, Eastern Hill, Menzies Hotel in William Street, Melbourne (1857) and Presbyterian Ladies' College, East Melbourne (1874). His grandest accomplishment was the Royal Exhibition Building, later to become Australia's first building to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.

His daughter, born Helen Porter Mitchell, was the renowned operatic soprano Dame Nellie Melba.

References

• Joan Campbell, 'Mitchell, David (1829–1916)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, MUP, 1974, pp 259–260.