Windsor Cinema facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Windsor Theatre
The Windsor Theatre, Stirling Highway, Nedlands, Western Australia
Alternative names	Windsor Cinema Windsor Twin Cinema
General information
Type	Cinema
Architectural style	Art Deco
Address	98 Stirling Highway
Town or city	Nedlands, Western Australia
Country	Australia
Coordinates	31°58′47″S 115°48′08″E / 31.9797°S 115.8022°E / -31.9797; 115.8022
Completed	1937
Inaugurated	10 September 1937
Client	Claremont District Pictures
Design and construction
Architect	William T. Leighton
Architecture firm	A R Baxter-Cox
Main contractor	W H Ralph & Sons

The Windsor Cinema is a cool old movie theater in Nedlands, Western Australia. It is located at 98 Stirling Highway. This cinema has a special design style called Art Deco. It was designed by the architect William T. Leighton and built in 1937. Today, it is run by Luna Palace Cinemas. It's a place where many people have enjoyed watching movies for a long time!

History of the Windsor Cinema

The Windsor Theatre was built in 1937. It was made by W.H Ralph and Sons for a company called Claremont District Pictures. The building was made of brick with nice smooth finishes inside and out.

The Windsor Cinema is like many other Australian cinemas built in the 1930s and 1940s. But it had a unique feature! It had a projector that could move. This projector could show films inside the theater or outside in a special "picture garden."

The cinema officially opened on September 10, 1937. It was opened by Mr. Bennett, who was the Chairman of the Nedlands Road Board. At that time, the theater could seat at least 800 people. This made it the biggest cinema in the area.

Unique Projector Design

The Windsor Cinema shared a special room for projectors, called a bio-box, with its outdoor picture gardens. This was a new idea from the architect, William T. Leighton. He designed a special wing that let the movie projectors roll quickly between the indoor and outdoor screens. This was a world-first design!

Changes Over the Years

Vince Lucus first ran the theater. Later, Independent Film Distributors took over. The outdoor picture gardens closed in 1968. This happened because television became popular.

The cinema was updated many times. The last parts of the picture garden were removed in 1988. The Windsor Cinema survived the arrival of television by showing "art house" films. These are often unique or foreign movies. The Windsor was the first cinema in Perth to show movies with subtitles.

Fire and Reopening

A fire happened at the cinema sometime in the 1970s. The cinema was fixed, but it closed on September 24, 1983. Then, Roger and Chrissie Hunt and Cyril Watson bought the building.

They built a second indoor cinema where the gardens used to be. This new screen opened in November 1988. The new "twin" cinema could seat 210 people. The original main cinema could seat 500 people. In 1997, the air conditioning in the old cinema (Cinema 1) was updated. Cinema 2 had new air conditioning when it was built.

In November 2005, the Windsor Cinema became part of the Luna Palace group. This happened after a special agreement between the owners and Luna Palace. In 2012, Luna Palace installed new digital cinema systems in both Cinema 1 and Cinema 2.

Windsor Cinema's Design Style

The Windsor Cinema is an example of a design style called Inter-War Functionalist architectural design. This means the building's design focused on its purpose. It also used simple shapes and lines.

Functionalist Features

Some features of this style include decorative parts that don't have a specific job. It also has many straight, horizontal lines, often in groups of three. The roofs are hidden behind walls called parapets. Steel and reinforced concrete were used to make wide open spaces inside. The building also uses simple geometric shapes that are not perfectly balanced (asymmetrical).

Nautical Moderne Style

You can also see a "Nautical Moderne" design in the steel railings. This style was inspired by the look of ocean liners (large passenger ships).

Building Changes

Many changes have been made to the building since 1937. The picture gardens were removed and replaced with a second cinema and parking. The original candy bar, ticket box, and booking office were taken out. The bathrooms were updated. The old street canopy was removed, and a new ceiling was put in the foyer. The projection room was changed, and new seats were added throughout the main cinema.

Heritage Importance

The Windsor Cinema is considered an important historical building. The National Trust (WA) officially recognized it on December 3, 1990. The building is also listed on the City of Nedlands' Municipal Heritage Inventory. This means the city recognizes its historical value.

See also

In Spanish: Cine Windsor para niños