Grand Empire Theatre | |
 | |
| Address | 85 Macquarie Street Hobart, Tasmania Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°52′54.03″S147°19′52.89″E / 42.8816750°S 147.3313583°E Coordinates: 42°52′54.03″S147°19′52.89″E / 42.8816750°S 147.3313583°E |
| Capacity | 1,800 (1911), 843 (1983) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 31 December 1910 |
| Closed | 1987 |
| Years active | 1910-1987 |
| Architect | Douglas Salier |
The Prince of Wales Theatre was a theatre on Macquarie Street, Hobart, Tasmania from 1910 to 1987. [1]
Designed by architect Douglas Salier, the Grand Empire Theatre was opened by the Hon. J. W. Evans on 31 December 1910 in the presence of the Governor of Tasmania, Sir Harry Barron, Lady Clara Emily Barron, Premier of Tasmania Sir Elliott Lewis and other Hobart notables. [2] The theatre, which took less than six months to build, was designed to seat 1,800 patrons (500 in the dress circle and the rest in the front and back stalls). [3] It was fitted with tip-up seats of modern design, with plush upholstery for those in the dress circle. [4] [5]
The theatre was found to be structurally defective and underwent multiple alternations throughout the 1920s. [6] Owner Edwin Herbert Webster rebuilt the auditorium to seat 900 in partnership with architect firm Walker & Johnston in 1924. [1] [6] The venue reopened as the Prince of Wales Theatre with the stage play The Glad Eye (based on Le Zebre by Paul Armont) starring Zillah Bateman on Boxing Day, 1924. Later Webster deemed the venue space unsuitable for stage plays, and the Prince of Wales commenced screening Paramount Pictures exclusively from 1925. [6] [7] The façade and foyer areas were renovated in 1926 and 1928 by contractors J. Dunn and Sons. [8] [9] In 1938, Hoyts Theatres Ltd acquired the leases for both the Princes of Wales and the Princess Theatre, Launceston. [10] Following this arrangement, the theatre widely adopted the "Prince" moniker in advertising.
The theatre is best remembered for when it was managed by silent film star Louise Lovely and her second husband Berty Cowan throughout the 1940s and 1950s:
"Lovely was herself a drawcard, running the sweet shop and was said to have made the best milkshakes in Hobart." [1]
In October 1954, the Prince of Wales became the first cinema in Tasmania equipped with Cinemascope. [11] The same month, the biblical-epic The Robe , was exhibited simultaneously at the Prince and Princess Theatres, marking the first dual city film premiere in Tasmania. The Hobart event was attended by the Governor Sir Ronald Cross, the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in Australia Sir Stephen Holmes and Lady Holmes, Tasmanian Premier Robert Cosgrove, the Lord Mayor (Mr. Park, M.H.A.) and Mrs. Park, State officials, and other Hobart notables. [12]
In spite the central location of the Prince, competition became dire after Village Cinemas opened the entirely new West End Twin theatre complex on Collins Street, Hobart in 1976. Hoyts opened another single-screen theatre, Hoyts Mid City in the basement of the nearby T & G building in 1982 as a means to attract some of their business. However the multiplex itself, the first of its kind in Tasmania, was too alluring a concept for the general public. In 1983, the West End Twin's Cinema 1 had capacity for 609 patrons and Cinema 2 for 401. The Prince had a seating capacity of 843, and the Hoyts Mid City had capacity for 400. [13] Financing both venues lead to a steady decline of the Prince's interiors. By the mid 80s, the Prince had ceased trading as a cinema.
The Prince was leased to the Tasmanian Theatre Trust, who revamped the cinema into a live theatre venue following a fire at the Theatre Royal in June 1984. After two years of operating as a theatre, the Prince closed in 1986 and demolished in September 1987 for a carpark and office tower. [1] In 1988, the West End Twin underwent renovations, expanded to 7 screens and was renamed Village Cinemas. Hoyts closed the Mid City location in the early 1990s; which saw the company's complete withdrawal from Tasmania.
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.
TheMercury is a daily newspaper, published in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, by Davies Brothers Pty Ltd (DBL), a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of News Corp. The weekend issues of the paper are called Mercury on Saturday and Sunday Tasmanian. The current editor of TheMercury is Craig Warhurst.
The Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart is a twelve-storey hotel located on the waterfront of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Sir Eardley Max Bingham, was an Australian politician. He was Deputy Premier and Opposition Leader of Tasmania, who represented the electorate of Denison for the Liberal Party in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1969 to 1984.
Franklin Square is a 1.6-acre (0.63-hectare) oak-lined public square located in the Hobart City Centre in Tasmania, Australia. It is named for Sir John Franklin, a renown Arctic explorer and former Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land. The centrepiece of the park is a statue of Franklin, with an epitaph written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. As the city's most central urban parkland and transportation hub, Franklin Square is frequently utilised for festive markets, public gatherings and as a place for public protest.
Hobart City Hall is a public auditorium and concert venue in Hobart, Tasmania, which together with the Derwent Entertainment Centre forms one of the two major public venues in the city. It is also a commonly used emergency center during disasters such as the 2013 Tasmanian bushfires. Despite its name it is not the City of Hobart's seat of government, which is Hobart Town Hall – historically a matter of confusion.
Alan Cameron Walker (1865–1931) was an Australian architect and philanthropist, born in Hobart, Tasmania. The grandson of John Walker, he was educated at Hutchins School and apprenticed to Henry Hunter. He produced many Tasmanian government and other buildings during his career, and was also a keen silversmith, serving as President of the Tasmanian Arts and Crafts Society for 25 years. He was the first President of the Tasmanian Architect's Registration Board.
Ingle Hall is a landmark building in Hobart, Tasmania on the corner of Macquarie and Argyle Streets. It has served numerous purposes over its history and is vacant; it was most recently used as The Mercury print museum. It is unknown when the building was built as it predates any government record holding by the state of Tasmania, which began in 1822. It is named for John Ingle, one of the two possible first inhabitants of the building.
Murray Street is one of four north-west roads within the Hobart City Centre (CBD). The street is named for Captain John Murray, commandant at Hobart Town, by Lachlan Macquarie. One of Hobart's original seven streets, Murray Street was formalised by surveyor James Meehan (1774-1826) on 25 November 1811.
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.
The State Cinema is a historic cinema venue located in North Hobart, Tasmania. It was acquired by the US-owned Reading Cinemas chain in November 2019.
The Odeon Theatre is a historic former cinema and live entertainment venue in the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
The Gaiety Theatre and Grand Hotel is a historic theatre and hotel in Zeehan, Tasmania, Australia.
The National Theatre is a historic former theatre in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
The Majestic Theatre is a historic former theatre and cinema in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
The Avalon Theatre is a historic former Temperance Hall, theatre and cinema in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
The Voice was a weekly newspaper in Hobart, Tasmania published from 1925 to 1953.