Queen's Hall, Melbourne

Queen's Hall was a little theatre in Collins Street, Melbourne, situated between Russell and Swanston streets. It operated from 1920 to 1937, when its building was demolished. 37°48′55″S144°58′04″E / 37.8152°S 144.9677°E / -37.8152; 144.9677

History

220m
240yds

3

2

1

   

Some Melbourne theatres

1

Central Hall, Little Collins Street

2

The Auditorium

3

Queen's Hall

In late 1920 the Melbourne lodge of the Theosophical Society (TS) purchased from the Sir Samuel Gillott estate a property at 181–187 Collins Street, at the rear of which was an old warehouse which, after some modifications, they named Queen's Hall, to be used for Society meetings ^[1] and by August 1920 were hiring it out to various organisations. ^[2]

One notable user of the hall was J. Beresford Fowler and his "Little Art Theatre" players, ^[3] presenting modern plays on its "absurdly small" stage ^[4] 1925 ^[5] to 1936, ^[6] when they were obliged to quit due to forthcoming building work. Minnie Hooper's ballet school used the hall for some concerts, and perhaps for classes.

The two buildings were demolished in 1937, to be replaced by a five-storey office block for the Theosophical Society, ^[7] completed in October of that year. ^[8] Nothing has yet been found of its history after 1940, except that sometime before 1946 Federal government offices renting space in the TS building were vacated. ^[9] It still stands, in something like its 1930s condition and is on the National Trust database as File no. B4116. ^{[10] [11]}

The Theosophical Society building was adjacent the Auditorium building ^[12] and is not to be confused with the Society's five-storey building at 124–130 Russell Street, which TS purchased in 1972 and sold in 2017.

References

1. "Growth of Theosophy". The Herald (Melbourne) . No. 14, 372. Victoria, Australia. 8 April 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
2. "Tomorrow's Church Services". The Herald (Melbourne) . No. 13, 855. Victoria, Australia. 7 August 1920. p. 22. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
3. "Art Theatre Players". The Herald (Melbourne) . No. 20, 909. Victoria, Australia. 23 May 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
4. Thespia (27 August 1927). "The Little Art Theatre". The Herald (Melbourne) . No. 15, 686. Victoria, Australia. p. 17. Retrieved 24 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
5. "Season of Ibsen Drama". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 24, 585. Victoria, Australia. 26 May 1925. p. 16. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
6. "Around the Shows". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 28, 186. Victoria, Australia. 21 December 1936. p. 4. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
7. "Theosophical Society". The Age . No. 25, 340. Victoria, Australia. 3 July 1936. p. 11. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
8. "The New Theosophical Society Building". The Age . No. 25, 744. Victoria, Australia. 20 October 1937. p. 19. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
9. "Plan to Acquire City Sites for Federal Use — Already Vacated". The Herald . No. 21, 531. Victoria, Australia. 23 May 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.
10. "Former Theosophical Society Building" . Retrieved 19 September 2022.
11. "181 Collins Street". Melbourne CBD Building Database. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
12. "Real Property". The Herald . No. 12, 447. Victoria, Australia. 20 January 1916. p. 4. Retrieved 19 September 2022– via National Library of Australia.