Triumph Cinema facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Triumph Cinema |
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Front of building, 2015
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| Location | 963 Stanley Street, East Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Arthur Robson |
| Architectural style(s) | Mediterranean |
| Official name: Classic Cinema, East Brisbane Picture Theatre, Elite Cinema, Triumph Cinema | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 27 July 2001 |
| Reference no. | 602214 |
| Significant period | 1927 (fabric). 1927-2000 (historical, social) |
| Significant components | proscenium arch, projection booth/bio box, foyer - entrance, auditorium, stage/sound shell |
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The Triumph Cinema is an old cinema building in East Brisbane, Australia. It was built in 1927 and designed by Arthur Robson. This building is important because it shows how cinemas used to be. It has been known by a few names, including East Brisbane Picture Theatre, Elite Cinema, and Classic Cinema. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2001, which means it's a special historical place.
A Look Back: The Cinema's Story
The land where the Triumph Cinema stands has been used for showing movies since 1921. The cinema building we see today was built in 1927. It had some small changes around 1970.
Early Days of the Site
In 1855, a man named Joseph Darragh bought this large piece of land. Later, in the 1880s, the land was divided into smaller blocks. This helped East Brisbane become a place where people lived. In 1885, Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Cocks bought the land where the cinema is now. She owned it for over 20 years.
From Open-Air to New Building
In 1921, Frederick Carl Christian Olsen bought the property. He started an open-air movie show there. Imagine watching a movie outside under the stars! This early cinema had a timber front and a roof that could be pulled out to cover more seats when it rained. People thought this was very clever!
Frederick Olsen passed away in 1926. His family continued to own the property. In 1927, his son, Vigo Gustav Olsen, decided to build a new, bigger cinema. He got a loan to help pay for it.
Building the Triumph Cinema
Vigo Olsen hired Arthur Robson, an architect and builder, to construct the new cinema. Robson was well-known for building many cinemas across Queensland in the 1920s. He built or designed 23 cinemas by 1928! The new cinema in East Brisbane was named the Triumph. This name is still carved into the front of the building today.
The Era of "Talkies"
Vigo Olsen died in 1929. His wife, Ida Elizabeth Olsen, took over the cinema. Around this time, "talkies" (movies with sound) became very popular. The first major talkie was The Jazz Singer in 1927. Cinemas had to add sound equipment or they would go out of business. Ida Olsen likely got another loan to buy this new sound technology for the Triumph.
Family Ownership and Changes
In 1934, the cinema was taken over by Albert Frederick Stoddart and Alma Jones. Gordon Jones, who was related to the Olsens, started managing the Triumph when he was only 17. He managed it until about 1970. The cinema was known as the Triumph Theatre Company.
A photo from 1940 shows the cinema looked much like it does now. The entrance had concrete steps and folding iron gates. Inside, there was a ticket booth and doors leading to the main movie area.
Cinemas in the Community
In the 1930s, there were about 200 cinemas in Queensland, with 25% of them in Brisbane. Most suburbs had at least one cinema. These cinemas were important community hubs. Staff often lived nearby, and the cinema was a place for local people to gather and feel connected. The Triumph had many competitors nearby, but it is one of the few that still stands today.
The Rise of Television
When television came to Brisbane in the late 1950s, fewer people went to the cinema. Many suburban cinemas closed down in the 1960s and 1970s. Their buildings were used for other things or torn down. By the 1980s, only a few old single-screen cinemas were left in Brisbane.
In 1960-61, the Triumph could seat 800 people. This was a bit less than its earlier capacity of 950.
New Names and Uses
Around 1970, the cinema changed owners again. It was renamed the Capri East Brisbane. The seating capacity was changed to 510, meaning some seats were removed or the layout changed.
The cinema closed for a short time in the 1980s. But by 1988, it reopened as the Classic Cinema. It became an "art-house" cinema, showing different kinds of movies and hosting film festivals. It closed as a cinema in mid-2000.
In 2014, the building was being used as a martial arts studio. There was also a yoga studio on the top floor.
What the Cinema Looks Like
The former Triumph Cinema is on a street corner in East Brisbane. The front of the building faces Stanley Street East, which is a busy road. The area around it is mostly homes, but there are some shops nearby.
The Impressive Front
The front of the cinema is two stories tall and made of brick. It's very decorative and stands out on the street. It mixes different styles, like "Classical" and "Mediterranean" designs. There are five sections, separated by decorative pillars. At the top of these pillars are fancy concrete urns.
The middle section is wider and taller. It has the name TRIUMPH carved into it. Below the name is a window with five panes of special green and amber glass. This window is where the original projection booth was located.
At street level, there's a wide, arched entrance. Concrete steps lead up to what used to be an open waiting area, or foyer. This area now has glass doors. On either side of the entrance, there are spaces for movie posters. There are also small round "porthole" windows with square leadlight panels.
Inside the Auditorium
While the front is fancy, the main part of the building, where the movies were shown, is a large timber-framed space. It has a steep, gabled roof made of corrugated iron. The side walls are covered with cement sheets.
The foyer (the entrance area) has been changed and made bigger. It now has a lower ceiling and a flat floor. There's a ticket booth and a candy bar. Toilets are on the other side. You enter the main movie area (auditorium) from doors at the back of the foyer. Above the foyer is the projection booth, which is where the movie projector used to be.
The auditorium itself is still very much like it was originally. It's a large space with a sloped wooden floor. The roof is supported by big wooden arches. The ceiling has a lattice design with a fabric backing. There are three decorative light panels in the middle of the ceiling. The walls have wooden panels at the bottom and decorative plasterboard panels above.
At the back of the auditorium is a small stage with a decorative arch. On either side of the stage are large plasterboard panels with "classical" designs. The very back wall is made of metal sheeting, which was painted to be the original screen. The newer cinema screen has been removed. There are also two old sound horns hanging above the stage.
Why This Place is Special
The Triumph Cinema was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2001 for several reasons.
A Piece of Queensland's Past
This cinema shows how Queensland's history has changed. It has been a place for showing movies, a very popular form of entertainment in the 20th century, since 1921. It was one of the longest-running cinemas in Queensland until it closed in 2000. It also shows how family-owned businesses helped the movie industry grow.
A Rare Survivor
The former Classic Cinema is a rare example of a 1920s cinema that is still mostly original. It's one of only three single-screen cinemas from that time left in Brisbane. The Triumph is the oldest and most decorated of these. Its fancy 1927 front is especially rare to see today.
Showing Cinema Design
This building is a great example of a 1920s "picture palace" in the suburbs. These cinemas had a grand front to attract people, but the main movie area was built more simply to save money. It shows all the main features of this type of building:
- An impressive front with mixed "Classical" and "Mediterranean" designs.
- A large, gabled auditorium with wooden arches.
- A central arched entrance.
- A projection booth above the entrance.
- An old lattice ceiling inside the auditorium.
- A sloped wooden floor.
- Decorative panels on the auditorium walls.
- A fancy arch around the stage.
- A small stage with decorative panels.
- A "screen" painted on the back wall.
The way the fancy front hides the simpler main building is a key feature of these cinemas. The building also shows the work of Arthur Robson, who built and designed many cinemas in Queensland.
Beautiful and Important
The cinema has a special beauty because of its well-designed and decorative front. It stands out in the suburban area. The large, arched auditorium with its decorative walls and lattice ceiling also has a grand and impressive feel.
A Place for the Community
The Triumph Cinema has been a part of East Brisbane's community and social life since the 1920s. It was a place for local activities and popular entertainment since 1921. For over ten years, it was also known as an art-house cinema in Brisbane. Many "film-buffs" (people who love movies) knew it as a place for film festivals and screenings of student films.
