 The Majestic Theatre in 1917 | |
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| Address | 76 Brisbane Street Launceston, Tasmania Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°26′11.5″S147°8′22.85″E / 41.436528°S 147.1396806°E |
| Owner | Neil Pitts Mensware |
| Capacity | 1,510 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2 June 1917 |
| Closed | 28 February 1970 |
| Years active | 1917–1970 |
| Architect | Marino Lucas (design) |
| Website | |
| Official site | |
| Place ID | 3,891 [1] |
| Status | Permanently Registered |
The Majestic Theatre is a historic former theatre and cinema in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
The Majestic Theatre was constructed for approximately £A18,000 by Greek–Australian businessman Marino Lucas, opening to a full-house on 2 June 1917. [2] Hundreds of attendees remained outside the building, unable to secure a seat. [3] The theatre could seat 1,510 patrons (450 in the dress circle, 700 in the stalls, and 360 in the back stalls) with a proscenium measuring 9.1 by 7.6 metres (30 ft × 25 ft) [4]
It was Marino Lucas' second theatre in Launceston, following the success of the Princess Theatre. [5] Designed under the supervision of Lucas, the Majestic was architecturally influenced by Lucas' Ithacecian roots. "The architecture is Grecian," commented the Launceston Daily Telegraph , "and at the top one can see glimpses of the ancient Pantheon style." [4]
Centrally located within the Launceston tramway network on a main street, during World War I the Majestic became the busiest and most profitable cinema in Tasmania. [6] Anthony Lucas, the brother of Lucas, may have been influenced by the Majestic's phenomenal success when he planned to construct a centrally positioned theatre in Melbourne. The iconic Capitol Theatre on Swanston Street was designed by Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin under the direction of Lucas in 1924.
The Majestic hosted the world premiere of Ken Hall's Gone to the Dogs in 1939. [7]
Actor Michael Pate visited the Majestic in 1950 to promote the film Sons of Matthew . [8]
Due to the rise in television ownership, the Majestic closed on 26 February 1970. The final film projected was Sweet Charity . It was purchased by brothers Neil and Don Pitt, who converted the building into a menswear store, transforming the mezzanine into a café and utilising the dress circle foyer as a workroom and auditorium as a storeroom. [9]
The Majestic Theatre has operated as Neil Pitt's Menswear since 1970. The theatre's 1929 projection equipment is on display in the store. [9] [10]
Zane Pinner's horror novel Encore, surrounding fictitious hauntings at the Majestic in Launceston was published in 2022. [11]
Hobart College is a government comprehensive senior secondary school located in Mount Nelson, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1913 as Hobart High School, it was later renamed as Hobart Matriculation College in 1965, and subsequently renamed as Hobart College. The college caters for approximately 1,000 students in Years 11 and 12 and is administered by the Tasmanian Department of Education.
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The mines of the West Coast of Tasmania have a rich historical heritage as well as an important mineralogical value in containing or having had found, specimens of rare and unusual minerals. Also, the various mining fields have important roles in the understanding of the mineralization of the Mount Read Volcanics, and the occurrence of economic minerals.
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The Capitol is an historic theatre on Swanston Street in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1924 as part of the Capitol House building, the art deco theatre was designed by American husband and wife architects Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin, and is the oldest of Melbourne's large picture palaces. It is famous for its extravagant decor and abstract motifs, including an intricate geometric ceiling containing thousands of coloured lamps, designed to evoke the walls of a crystalline cave.
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Henry Elmes Lette was an Australian cricketer and politician. His middle name is frequently misreported as "Elms".
Marinos Lekatsas (1869?–1931), known as Marino Lucas, was a Greek-Australian businessman in the construction industry and the operation of theatres. Originally from Greece, Lucas subsequently lived in Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. Lucas and his brother Anthony JJ Lucas were key figures in the early Greek community in Melbourne.
Terence Robert Cashion was an award-winning Australian rules footballer from Tasmania who played numerous representative matches for the state and also played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Charles Richard Howroyd was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1909 until 1917, representing the Australian Labor Party until leaving the party in the 1916 Labor split. He was then elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the 1917 federal election, but died only five days later.
James Joseph Gaffney was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1899 to 1903, representing the electorate of Lyell.
The Tasmanian Heritage Register is the statutory heritage register of the Australian state of Tasmania. It is defined as a list of areas currently identified as having historic cultural heritage importance to Tasmania as a whole. The Register is kept by the Tasmanian Heritage Council within the meaning of the Tasmanian Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995. It encompasses in addition the Heritage Register of the Tasmanian branch of the National Trust of Australia, which was merged into the Tasmanian Heritage Register. The enforcement of the heritage's requirements is managed by Heritage Tasmania.
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Brisbane Street is a street in Hobart, Tasmania. The street was named for Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, the sixth Governor of New South Wales.
The Princess Theatre is a historic theatre in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
Albert Thomas Chilcott was an Australian rules footballer who played senior club football in Tasmania from the late 1930s to the early 1950s and was chosen in competition and state representative teams a number of times.
The Prince of Wales Theatre was a theatre on Macquarie Street, Hobart, Tasmania from 1910 to 1987.
The Gaiety Theatre and Grand Hotel is a historic theatre and hotel in Zeehan, Tasmania, Australia.
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The Avalon Theatre is a historic former Temperance Hall, theatre and cinema in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
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