Page 8 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2003 #41

Geelong’s Ticket to

Paradise...

By Mike Trickett

eelong in the mid-1930s was like
Gso many other towns and cities in
Australia, still recovering from The
Great Depression.
At that time Geelong was serviced
by a number of cinemas, the Geelong
Theatre (1913), the Plaza (formerly
the Mechanics) (1932), The Regent
(1922), The Palais (1926) - still
screening silent films mainly as an
adjunct to dances and the West Park
(1915) a semi open air theatre located
in the suburb of Geelong West.
All of the above were built in the
era of the silent film and were modified
for sound (except the Palais) in the late
1920s.
In August 1937, an application was
submitted to the Geelong City Council
for approval to build a theatre and
eleven shops on what was part of the
(1)
former Market Square site. The
theatre and one shop were to face the
wide thoroughfare of Little Malop
Street, with another on the cormer and
the balance at the side of the building
in the narrow McCann Street. The
architect for the design was Charles N.
Hollinshed, well-known theatrical
architect who already had a number of
prestige theatre buildings to his credit,
including the Comedy Melbourne, the
Regent Brisbane, plus other work in
Australia and New Zealand. Above: Entrance Doors; Stalls foyer & Dress-Circle Lounge in 1982. Photo: Lex De Vries

8 2010 CINEMARECORD