Oriana Cinema
Hoyts Fremantle | |
File:Oriana Cinema, Fremantle 1950.jpg
Oriana Cinema in 1950
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Address | 177 High Street Fremantle Australia |
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Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Owner | Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd |
Operator | Hoyts, City Theatres[1] |
Capacity | 1,200[2] |
Construction | |
Opened | 4 August 1938[3][4] |
Closed | 1971[3][4] |
Demolished | March 1972 |
Architect | H. V. Taylor and Soilleux |
The Oriana Cinema was an art deco cinema and theatre built in 1938 in Fremantle, Western Australia and demolished in the early 1970s.[2]
History
In 1937 a local company, Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd (formed by local businessmen and Hoyts Theatres Limited), proposed to construct a picture theatre at the corner of High Street and Queen Street, Fremantle.[5] The cinema was estimated to cost ₤20,000 and seat 1,300 persons.[5][6] The site was previously occupied by the Rose and Crown Hotel which was built in 1830[4] although in the late 1870s it was used as a school, a private dwelling and lodging rooms.[7] The architects were H. Vivian Taylor and Soilleux of Melbourne, who designed the Windsor Theatre in Windsor, the Padua Theatre in Brunswick[5] and the Plaza Theatre in Perth. The cinema, Hoyts Fremantle, was officially opened by the acting Mayor of Fremantle, Cr Stevens on Thursday 4 August 1938. The first film shown at the cinema was Walt Disney Productions', Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Love on a Budget, starring Shirley Temple.[8][9]
The cinema, due to the acutely angled intersection on which the site was situated upon, created a visually striking design. The entrance foyer, lounge and stairways were unusual in their spherical design. The cinema featured a "floating" screen, a soundproof "crying room", to allow parents with crying babies to watch the movies and a "powder bar" in the women's lounge. It was also unique in that it used ducted ventilation rather than air conditioning.[10][11]
The cinema remained under the management of Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd until the 1961[12] when it was bought by a consortium of stakeholders including Goldfields Pictures[2] and City Theatres (owned by TVW).[1] This was when it was given the name Oriana Cinema. In 1967 the cinema was renovated reducing the seating capacity to approximately 1,000 and in May 1968 a new 70mm screen was installed.[12] The last screening at the cinema occurred on 4 December 1971.[3]
The demolition was a speedy affair[2] brought about by plans to widen High Street, and despite protest by community groups[13] was effected within four weeks,[2] in March 1972.[12] The building built in its place is set back from the road considerably, with respect to its neighbour the Victoria Hall, as the road-widening plans never did come to fruition.
Following the demolition of the cinema, a series of menswear shops (1972: Walsh's Mens Wear;[4][14] June 1979: Geoffrey Bruce Men's Clothier[4]) filled the new building, which as of 2012 houses La Tropicana Café, Magpie Books, Raine and Horne Real Estate Agency, Potters House Christian church, and ITP Tax Agents.
See also
- Perspective drawing of proposed picture theatre (1937)
- 1969 picture of exterior of Oriana Cinema
- Images held by the National Library of Australia
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Relevant page.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lot 386, Certificate of Titles 1055 715.