Plaza Theatre, Paddington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plaza Theatre |
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Former Plaza Theatre, now antique shop, 2020
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| Location | 163–169 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 to 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1929 – c. 1929 |
| Architect | Richard Gailey, Junior |
| Official name: Paddington Antiques Centre, Plaza Theatre | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 28 March 2003 |
| Reference no. | 601654 |
| Significant period | c. 1929 (fabric) c. 1929 – 1961 (historical, social) |
| Significant components | shop/s, proscenium arch, foyer – entrance, auditorium, toilet block/earth closet/water closet |
| Builders | John Hutchinson |
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The Plaza Theatre is an old cinema building in Paddington, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey, Junior and built around 1929 by John Hutchinson. Today, it's known as Empire Revival and is a special heritage-listed site. This means it's an important part of Queensland's history and culture.
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A Look Back: The Plaza Theatre's Story
The Plaza Theatre was built around 1929 by John Hutchinson, a builder from Brisbane. It was originally meant for a company called Greater Brisbane Motion Pictures Ltd. The architect, Richard Gailey jnr, likely designed it. The Plaza Theatre is special because it's a rare example of an "atmospheric" theatre from the early 1900s in Queensland.
Building the Theatre
In 1929, plans were made to build a new cinema at the corner of Collingwood Street and Latrobe Terrace in Paddington. The cost was about £8,000. Richard Gailey jnr was listed as the architect, and John Hutchinson was the builder. The plans were approved by June 1929.
Before the building was even finished, the company that owned the land and planned to run the cinema had money problems. Because of this, the Hutchinson family, who were the builders, ended up owning both the building and the land. This started their long connection with the theatre.
Cinema Competition
In 1929, the Plaza Theatre faced a lot of competition. There were at least two other cinemas nearby: Stephens New Paddington Theatre and Red Hill Picture Pops. The Plaza wasn't the first cinema in Paddington, but it was the most fancy.
During the late 1920s and 1930s, many new cinemas were built in Brisbane. Movies were becoming very popular. But with the arrival of "talkies" (movies with sound), cinemas needed expensive new equipment. This, plus the Great Depression, made it tough for many small cinemas.
To attract people, theatres had to offer more than just films. They became more comfortable and decorative. The Plaza Theatre was built during this time, aiming to capture the local people's imagination.
What is an "Atmospheric" Theatre?
The Plaza Theatre in Paddington is special because it's an "atmospheric" cinema. This means its inside was designed to look like an exotic outdoor place. Imagine a night sky painted on the ceiling and side areas that look like a Spanish courtyard with twisted columns!
This style became popular in Australia in the late 1920s. Architects studied designs from America, especially those by John Eberson. He created atmospheric cinemas that looked like ancient Byzantine, Persian, Spanish, Moorish, or Egyptian settings. The idea was to make the audience feel like they were part of the movie's world, even before the film started.
While the Paddington Plaza wasn't as huge as some other atmospheric theatres in Australia, it still had the key features. It made you feel like you were watching a movie under the stars.
Life at the Plaza
The Plaza Theatre was first designed for silent films. But by 1929, movies with sound (talkies) came to Australia. So, the Plaza opened as a "talkies" theatre. In 1938, it could hold 1250 people. The seats were on a sloped floor, like many cinemas today.
The Plaza Theatre became a popular spot for people in Paddington. It was open every day of the week. They showed serials (like TV shows today) on Monday and Tuesday nights, and films with newsreels on other nights. There was even a special matinee show on Sunday afternoons.
It's said that on Saturdays, trams would stop outside the theatre when it opened and wait until the movie finished to take people home! Movies were popular with all ages. The theatre even had a special soundproofed glass room, called the "cry room," for mothers with babies.
Shops and Changes
The Plaza Theatre building also had eight shops and offices facing Latrobe Terrace, on both sides of the main entrance. These shops were rented out soon after the theatre was built. For many years, there was a chemist, a dressmaker, a grocer, and a milkbar. After the movies, people often gathered at the milkbar.
The theatre did well until television came to Brisbane in the late 1950s. When TV arrived, fewer and fewer people came to the cinema. By 1960, only 20-30 people might show up for a screening.
In 1961, the Plaza Theatre stopped showing movies. The sloped floor was made flat, and the building was used for indoor basketball. This stopped in 1968 because of noise complaints. The Plaza was mostly empty until 1974, when the Hutchinson family used the foyer as their office. They sold the theatre in 1977. Today, it's a large antique shop. The shops facing Latrobe Terrace are still used by different businesses.
What the Plaza Theatre Looks Like Today
The former Plaza Theatre is a big, shed-like building that stands out on Latrobe Terrace in Paddington. Its outer walls are made of stone covered in a rough plaster, and the roof is made of corrugated iron.
The Front of the Building
The front of the building, facing the street, has a row of shops with a deep awning. This area includes the old theatre entrance and foyer, which is now the entrance to the antique centre. There are also six other shops, like a jeweller's and a cafe. The shop windows are large and framed in wood, with black tiles on the lower walls. The awning has a cool geometric pattern.
Above the awning, there's a decorative wall with an arch over the main entrance. This arch has urns and says "Paddington Antique Centre." The old theatre entrance has four sets of glass doors. Inside the foyer, the floor has a black and white checkerboard pattern. The ceiling is fancy, with scrolls and deep moulded edges. You can also see "Paddington Plaza 1929" written in brass on the floor where the ticket office used to be.
Inside the Auditorium
The main theatre area, called the auditorium, is a huge rectangular space. It has a curved plaster ceiling painted a bright, deep blue, known as "Reckitt's Blue." You can still see hints of painted clouds on the ceiling. There are also ventilation panels and lights hanging from the ceiling.
At the eastern end of the auditorium is the proscenium. This is the arch that framed the stage and screen. It's very decorative, made to look like the outside of a building. It has columns on each side and a Spanish-style roof with terracotta tiles. The columns are painted in bright colours like orange, blue, red, and yellow, with carved decorations. A colourful design is in the middle of the arch, and a velvet curtain with "Plaza" in gold letters hangs inside.
On either side of the proscenium, there are decorative balconies. These have railings, arches, and twisted columns. They are decorated with moulded plaster designs and painted in pale green, white, and a sandstone colour, with touches of bronze.
The back wall of the auditorium has a wooden lattice section, also painted blue. You can still see where the projection room used to be. The current wooden floor is built above the original sloped floor. The building's roof is held up by large curved wooden beams.
Why the Plaza Theatre is Important
The Paddington Antiques Centre, which used to be the Plaza Theatre, was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2003. This means it's recognized as a special place for several reasons:
A Glimpse into History
The former Plaza Theatre shows us how suburban cinemas developed in Brisbane during the 1920s and 1930s. It also tells us about the growth of the Paddington area.
A Rare Find
It's a rare example of an "atmospheric" cinema in the suburbs, and one of only a few built in Queensland. Its unique design makes it very special.
Showing What Cinemas Were Like
The theatre and its shops are still very much like they were when they were built. By looking at them, we can understand what people expected when they went to the movies back then.
Beautiful to Look At
The former Plaza Theatre is located on a high ridge in Latrobe Terrace. Its size and design make it a very important and noticeable building in the Paddington area.
Important to the Community
The Plaza Theatre is important because it was a popular place for entertainment in the past. It has a strong connection to the Paddington community. More recently, it's become important for the antique trade in Brisbane. It's also a well-known landmark in Brisbane's inner western suburbs.
Connected to Key People
The place is important for its link to independent film showing in Brisbane. It also has a long connection with the Hutchinson family, who are well-known for their building work in Brisbane.
