Cygnet Cinema

Last updated

Cygnet Cinema
Cygnet cinema 02 gnangarra.JPG
The Cygnet Cinema, Como
Cygnet Cinema
General information
Architectural style Streamline Moderne
Town or cityPreston Street, Como, Western Australia
Country Australia
Coordinates 31°59′37″S115°51′30″E / 31.9935°S 115.8583°E / -31.9935; 115.8583
Completed4 March 1938
ClientJames Stiles (Grand Theatre Company)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Baxter Cox and Leighton
TypeState Registered Place
Designated30 June 1995
Reference no. 2404

Cygnet Cinema is located at 16 Preston Street, Como, Western Australia. It was the first purpose built sound cinema in the suburbs immediately south of the city in the inter-war period. [1] The Cygnet Cinema opened in 1938 and was built by local identity and film entrepreneur James Stiles. It is an excellent example of the art deco style of architect William Leighton [1] and is included on the State's Heritage Register.

Contents

History

The Cygnet Theatre, built in 1938 for James Stiles of the Grand Theatre Company, [2] was originally named the Como Theatre. Formerly a real estate agent, Stiles moved into the cinema industry to save one of his assets, Grand Theatre, which faced ruin in the wake of the stock market crash in 1929. With the boom in cheap entertainment, the Grand Theatre Company soon became a very successful company. In 1938, Stiles managed to secure a ten-year lease on Piccadilly Theatre, [2] modernised his existing cinemas and built Como Theatre.

In the late 1930s South Perth had developed as a desirable, respectable riverside suburb. Como Beach was a popular recreation area for families, and a ferry service to the city left from the Como jetty at the bottom end of Preston Street.

The 1930s were also a boom period for entertainment. Attending the cinema was a popular pastime and an escape from the poverty of the Depression. A number of cinemas were built, not only in the city centres of Perth or Fremantle, but also in the suburbs. The Cygnet Theatre was not the first cinema in the South Perth area. It was preceded by the picture shows held twice weekly at the Swan Street Hall (1922), the Gaiety Picture Theatre on the corner of Coode and Angelo Streets (1926) and the Hurlingham Picture Theatre on Canning Highway (1933). The Gaiety and Hurlingham were still in operation when the Como Theatre opened in 1938 as the most modern and up-to-date-cinema in the district, screening "talkies" for the first time.

The Como Theatre was officially opened on 4 March 1938, by the Chairman of the South Perth Road Board, G.V. Abjornson. [3] It was designed by William T. Leighton, the well known Inter-War architect, and built by W H Ralph and Sons. In the late 1930s Leighton secured a reputation as a leading cinema designer for his work on several Perth cinemas, including the Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade, the Windsor Theatre in Nedlands, and the Astor Theatre in Mount Lawley. He was also behind the refurbishment of the Royal Theatre and Grand Theatre. [4] Como Theatre originally had both an indoor auditorium and an outdoor picture garden, which was serviced by one mechanised 'bio box'. [3] The tram and ferry services brought people from outside the area to the Cinema.

The theatre was renamed the Cygnet Theatre in the 1960s [5] to associate it with the Festival of Perth's black swan logo. Despite the name change, the original Broadway face type lettering stating The Como Theatre around the 'bio box' still exists. Although no longer a Festival of Perth venue, the Cygnet Cinema continues to successfully operate as a suburban cinema.

The entrance and foyer of the cinema were rearranged in 1964, with the entry doors shifted west of the original entrance, and the original entrance area was converted into part of the confectionery counter. Air conditioning was installed in the cinema in October 1968 to combat the threat of television, but patronage continued to drop and the picture garden was demolished within a year. [3] In 1981 alterations were made to the auditorium, with the seats in the front stalls removed and the other seating realigned.

Architectural character

The theatre reflects the architectural style popular in the inter-war period, using nautical motifs such as wavy lines, smooth flat curves and tubular handrails, with an architectural emphasis on both the horizontal and vertical aspects of the building. [4]

The Cygnet Cinema is an example of the Inter-War Functionalist style. Characteristics of this style are the asymmetrical massing of smooth geometric elements, and emphasis on exterior form reflecting internal function. The prominent central tower housed the 'bio box', which serviced both the indoor auditorium and the outdoor picture garden. Film canisters were hauled up to the 'bio box' balcony from the street. The tower extends out in a fashionable streamlined curve and features a cantilevered balcony with steel railings, resembling the form of a modern ocean liner. The 'liner' theme is reinforced by the three 'port hole' windows on the exterior of the building. The stylistic influence of Le Corbusier, a functional Modernist architect, is evident in these forms and detail. [3]

In the summer of 2013, American street artist Nils Westergard painted a portrait of Alfred Hitchcock on the western facing exterior wall of the building. [6]

Current uses

In August 2004, the Heritage Council of Western Australia provided a $4,500 grant to prepare a conservation plan for the Cinema. [7] The theatre is currently leased by independent operators from the owner, Colin Stiles, the son of the original owner, James Stiles.

Heritage value

The Cygnet Theatre was entered into the Register of the National Estate by the Australian Heritage Commission on 27 October 1998 [8] and was classified by the National Trust (WA) on 2 May 1988. The building is also included on the City of South Perth's Municipal Inventory and was permanently listed on the State Register of Heritage Places on 30 June 1995. [9]

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lawley, Western Australia</span> Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Mount Lawley is an inner northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The suburb is bounded by the Swan River to the east, Vincent, Harold and Pakenham Streets to the south, Central Avenue and Alexander Drive to the north, and Norfolk Street to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnet</span> Topics referred to by the same term

A cygnet is a young swan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Molloy</span> Australian politician

Thomas George Anstruther Molloy was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Perth from 1892 until 1894, and thereafter became a perennial candidate, unsuccessfully standing for parliament 14 times. He also served two terms as the Mayor of Perth, from 1908 to 1909 and from 1911 to 1912. Molloy also made a significant contribution to the cultural life of Perth, building numerous hotels and the first two theatres in the city, most notably His Majesty's Theatre, which is still open today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Theatre, Sydney</span>

The former Plaza Theatre in Sydney, New South Wales is a heritage-listed building designed as a 2000-seat cinema by Eric Heath for the Hoyts Group, and opened in 1930. It is no longer used as a cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astor Theatre, Perth</span> Heritage-listed movie theatre in Mount Lawley, Western Australia

The Astor Theatre is located at 659 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley, Western Australia. It comprises a single, two and three-storey masonry inter-war Art Deco style theatre and retail building.

William Garnsworthy Bennett was a Western Australian architect, well known for his Art Deco and Inter-War Functionalist style of civic, commercial and domestic buildings, including the Lord Forrest Olympic Pool in Kalgoorlie, the Beverley Town Hall, the Raffles Hotel and Plaza Theatre and Arcade in Perth.

William Thomas Leighton (1905–1990) was a Western Australian architect, well known for his Art Deco and Inter-War Functionalist style of civic, commercial and domestic buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Movie Masters Cinema Group</span> Western Australian cinema group

Grand Cinemas and Ace Cinemas are independent Western Australian chains of cinema multiplexes. The chains formerly co-operated under The Movie Masters banner, but as of 2022 they no longer operate under this arrangement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade</span> Shopping arcade and former theatre in Perth, Western Australia

The Piccadilly Cinema Centre and Piccadilly Arcade are located at 700-704 Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia. It is an art deco style cinema and shopping arcade, designed by architect William T. Leighton for mining entrepreneur Claude de Bernales. The theatre and arcade opened in 1938, with the arcade connecting Hay Street through to Murray Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Perth</span> Tramway Network in Perth

The Perth tramway network served Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, from 1899 until 1958. The network was initially run by a private company but was taken over by the state government in 1913. From a single line along Hay Street, the network expanded north as far as Osborne Park, east as far as Welshpool, south as far as Como, and west as far as Claremont. The tramways were gradually replaced by buses after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor Cinema</span> Cinema in Nedlands, Western Australia

The Windsor Cinema is located at 98 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, Western Australia. It is an Art Deco cinema designed by the architect William T. Leighton and constructed in 1937. It is currently leased by Luna Palace Cinemas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna Leederville</span> Cinema in Perth, Western Australia

Luna Leederville is a cinema complex located at the corner of Oxford and Vincent Streets in Leederville, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Theatre, Perth</span> Cinema in Perth, Australia

The former Plaza Theatre is located at 650–658 Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia. It was the first purpose-designed Art Deco cinema in Perth. The Plaza Theatre opened in 1937 and was built for Hoyts Theatres Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriana Cinema</span> Former cinema in Fremantle, Western Australia

The Oriana Cinema was an art deco cinema and theatre built in 1938 in Fremantle, Western Australia and demolished in the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritz Cinema, Randwick</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Ritz Cinema, also known as the Ritz Theatre, is a heritage-listed cinema located at 43 St Pauls Street, in the Sydney suburb of Randwick in the City of Randwick local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Aaron Bolot and built in 1937 by C. & B. J. Williams. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The architect, Aaron Bolot, is known for his classic art deco buildings throughout Sydney, such as his commissions for grand apartment buildings in Potts Point.

The Grand Theatre was a theatre and cinema located at 164–168 Murray Street, Perth, Western Australia. It was opened in September 1916 and closed in November 1980. The building was demolished in March 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Eli White</span> New Zealand architect (1876–1952)

Henry Eli White, also known as Harry White, was a New Zealand-born architect best known for the many theatres and cinemas he designed in New Zealand and Australia in the 1910s and 1920s. Many of the major surviving historic venues in the two countries are White designs, including the St. James Theatre, Wellington, St. James Theatre, Auckland, the Capitol Theatre and State Theatre in Sydney, and the Palais Theatre and the interiors of the Princess Theatre and Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne. He also designed the City Hall and the attached Civic Theatre in Newcastle, New South Wales.

The Theatre Royal and Metropole Hotel is a heritage-listed building in Perth, Western Australia, located at 637–645 Hay Street. Both the hotel and the theatre were built by businessman Thomas Molloy, completed in 1893 and 1897 respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 "Register of Heritage Places : Permanent Entry (Cygnet Theatre)" (PDF). HCWA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  2. 1 2 Bertrand, Ina (1987). "David and Goliath: The Grand Theatre Company and the National Exhibition Chains". Murdoch University. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Heritage Assessment" (PDF). HCWA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Cygnet Cinema, 16 Preston St, Como". Aussie Heritage. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  5. ↑ Honniball, Jack. "Cinemas 1896-1985". Murdoch University. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  6. ↑ Westergard, Nils. "Street work - Nils Westergard". Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "$1million grants protect 40 heritage properties". HCWA. 24 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  8. ↑ "Place ID 17345". Australian Heritage Database . Australian Government . Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  9. ↑ "Heritage Database". HCWA. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.