Crest Theatre, Granville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crest Theatre |
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The Crest while vacant in 2007, prior to its current ownership
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| Location | 157 Blaxcell Street, Granville, City of Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1948–1948 |
| Architect | Cowper; Murphy and Associates |
| Owner | The Australian Blouza Association Inc. |
| Official name: Crest Theatre; Hoyts Crest Theatre | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 1 August 2003 |
| Reference no. | 1664 |
| Type | Cinema |
| Category | Recreation and Entertainment |
| Builders | A. W. Edwards Pty Ltd |
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The Crest Theatre is a building in Granville, Australia, with a rich history. It started as a cinema and a ballroom. Today, it serves as a community centre. The theatre was designed by Cowper and Murphy and Associates and built in 1948. It was also known as Hoyts Crest Theatre. After being bought by the Australian Blouza Association, it is now called Blouza Hall. This special building was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 1 August 2003 because of its importance.
Contents
The Story of Crest Theatre
Early Cinemas in Granville
Movies became popular in Granville a long time ago. The first cinema, the Granville Picture Palace, opened on 3 September 1910. It was near the old Post Office. In 1911, Alfred James Beszant started showing films at the Granville Town Hall. He later took over the Picture Palace.
Another cinema, the Castle Theatre, was built in 1911. It could hold 800 people. The Castle Theatre had tall towers and special electric lights. Its screen was even bigger than the one at the Sydney Glaciarium.
In 1923, a company called Granville Cinema Ltd took over both the Castle and Picture Palace. This company built another cinema, the Granville Cinema, which opened in 1924. This building has since been taken down.
Building the Crest Theatre
The Crest Theatre was built by Hoyts' Western Suburbs Cinemas Ltd. It was on land rented from the Roman Catholic Church. The Crest was one of two special cinemas built in Granville. These cinemas were designed like "Quonset huts." A Quonset hut is a lightweight building, often shaped like a half-cylinder, first used by the military.
The first Quonset cinema was the Granville Hoyts Castle, which opened in 1947. The Crest Theatre opened soon after, on Easter Saturday, 27 March 1948. Its first movies were "The Swordsman" and "Dangerous Years." Both the Crest and the Castle were designed by Cowper, Murphy and Associates. They were built by A. W. Edwards Pty Ltd.
The Crest Theatre could seat 852 people. It was built in a similar way to the Castle. Mr. L. Nobby Clark was the Crest's first manager. He worked there until 1956.
Life as a Cinema and Beyond
For a while, a Hammond electric organ was played during movie screenings. Miss Ruby Coulson, a well-known musician from the Auburn area, played it.
By the early 1960s, the Crest only showed movies on Saturdays. Its last movie was shown on 24 August 1963. After that, the building went back to the Roman Catholic Church. The sloped floor where the seats were was made flat. The theatre then became a ballroom. It was used for many social events, especially for playing Bingo. The old movie projectors were removed when Hoyts left.
In the early 1990s, the outside of the building was repainted. The old roof was replaced with a new one. The inside ceiling was fixed, and the bathrooms were updated. In the mid-1990s, the "Hoyts" sign on the front was changed to "Bingo." But most of the inside and outside of the building stayed the same.
In recent years, the Crest has been used for different events. It was even featured in a TV series called Poor Man's Orange. Bingo stopped in late 2001. The building was empty for a while, except for occasional events.
Later, the Australian Blouza Association bought the theatre. This group is made up of Australians whose families came from the Lebanese village of Blaouza. They now use the building as a community and event centre. You can even rent the hall for public events. They call the building Blouza Hall.
What Does Crest Theatre Look Like?
The Crest Theatre has a unique design. It's shaped like a Quonset hut, with a curved ceiling inside. It has a steel frame and a front area for people to enter.
Outside the Theatre
The outside walls are made of concrete with a special finish. The main entrance is at a corner. It has two walls that meet at a right angle. These walls are lower than the main front of the building. Where these walls meet, there's a tall, pointed pillar with an Art Deco design. The word "Crest" is written in large, glowing letters on either side of this pillar.
The main front of the building has a large, triangular concrete pillar. It used to have five circles with the letters H-O-Y-T-S. Later, these were changed to B-I-N-G-O. Now, they spell B-L-O-U-Z-A.
The corner entrance has a curved roof that sticks out. It used to have the word "Crest" on it, and small lights outlined its bottom edge. Below this roof, there's a display board. There are also six glass doors on each side of the corner. These doors lead into the entrance area.
Inside the Theatre
When you go inside, you enter a tiled area called the vestibule. The ticket office is right behind the entrance doors. There are two entrances to the main theatre hall. Both still have their original deep red velvet curtains. The vestibule walls have beautiful, light-coloured plasterwork in an Art Nouveau style. The ceiling lights are arranged in diamond patterns.
The original candy bar is on a higher level at the back of the vestibule. Two doors at the back lead to the toilets. The Crest and Castle cinemas were the first to use special stainless steel urinals.
The main hall, called the auditorium, used to have a sloped floor for the seats. This floor was later made flat. The curved walls near the stage sweep up to the curved ceiling. Shell-shaped lights are placed on either side of the stage opening. The front of the stage has polished wooden panels. In the middle, there's a small curved space where the Hammond organ used to be. Curved stairways lead up to the stage on both sides.
The exit doors near the stage have fancy Art Nouveau plasterwork. This plasterwork continues along the walls to the back of the theatre. The main curved ceiling has a detailed plaster decoration that looks like a woven pattern. The original deep red and gold curtains are still in place around the stage. The main lights in the auditorium are two rows of five chandeliers.
At the back of the auditorium, on each side, there's a thirteen-step stairway leading to an upper section. These stairs have polished wood edges and still have the original "Hoyts" carpet.
The Crest Theatre is in excellent condition today. Most of its original decorations from the 1940s are still there. The main changes were making the floor flat and updating the outside signs.
Why Crest Theatre is Special
The Crest Theatre is considered very important. It is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. This means it's a special place that needs to be protected because of its history and unique features.
A Rare Design
The Crest Theatre is one of only two cinemas in New South Wales built in the "Quonset" style. It's the only one that still looks mostly the same as when it was built. This makes it a rare example of a cinema from the 1940s. It shows how military-style buildings were creatively used for everyday purposes after World War II.
Important Features
The inside of the Crest Theatre is almost completely original. It has beautiful plasterwork, light fittings, curtains, and the original candy bar. These features are very special and unique among cinemas in New South Wales. Experts have rated it as a top-category building because it's so original and well-preserved.
A Local Landmark
The theatre's special design, original signs, and location on a corner make it a well-known building in the area. It stands out and is easy to recognize.
A Place for the Community
The Crest Theatre has been important to the local community for a long time. From 1948 to 1963, it was a popular cinema. After that, it became a public hall for social events and entertainment. Today, it continues to be a community and function centre, bringing people together.
