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The Strand, Toowoomba

Mike Trickett

oowoomba’s heritage listed Strand
th
TTheatre celebrated its 100 anniversary
on 15 April. A special celebration was held for
invited guests and past employees, which was
followed by a preview screening of The Man
Who Knew Infinity. Before the screening,
manager Ian Mills provided some interesting
historical facts about the theatre. He also paid
tribute to the Sourris family for being the
longest serving owners of the theatre –
57 years in their hands. The highlight of the
night was a 90 second extract from the film
Rags, featuring Mary Pickford. This was the
first film screened at the Strand in 1916.
Built on the site of the earlier open air venue,
the Crystal Palace Picture Gardens, at
163 Margaret Street, the three-storey brick
theatre was erected in 1915-16 for James
Patrick Newman, a Toowoomba City
Alderman, and was designed by George Henry
Male Addison. The Strand Theatre today. The original facade has been retained.
The American-derived design was similar to In 1933, the owners of the Strand arranged for Paramount, Warner Brothers and United
picture theatres erected in other Australian Sydney architect and theatre designer Guy Artists to large audiences.
cities during the 1910s. In particular, the large Crick, who was then designing Toowoomba's
semi-circular glazed arch was reminiscent of rebuilt Empire Theatre, to revamp the interior On 7 July 1959, the current owners, the Sourris
family, acquired the theatre and converted it
the Majestic and Britannia in Melbourne and of the Strand in Art Moderne style. for CinemaScope. A major redevelopment of
the Pavilion in Brisbane. It was, however,
So popular were movies during the depression, the theatre and the adjoining buildings was
unorthodox in that the top level was designed that the Strand continued evening screenings carried out in 1992.
as additional accommodation for the adjacent throughout the renovations,
Crown Hotel, which was also owned by
although most of the
JP Newman.
matinees were cancelled.
Newman leased the theatre to moving picture The newly refurbished
exhibitor Senora Spencer, who named the theatre was opened
venue The Strand, like her theatres in officially in early December
Brisbane and Newcastle. The first screening, 1933, with the local
which was accompanied by the Strand newspaper claiming that the
Symphony Orchestra, took place on the Strand was the first picture
evening of Saturday 15 April 1916. theatre in Australia to be
refitted completely in the
In 1918, the theatre’s lease was taken over by Art Moderne style.
Union Theatres, and it was redecorated early The auditorium c. 1970
in 1919. In 1930, sound projection equipment The Strand flourished
was installed and the theatre was host to some during the 1930s, proudly advertising "Always The adjoining Crown Hotel and the
of Toowoomba's earliest "talkies". first with the latest and the greatest", and amusement centre were demolished and four
screened premier features from Fox, small cinemas were erected around the original
cinema which was stripped of seating and
Below: The Strand Theatre and the adjacent Crown Hotel c. 1930
refurbished to become a large foyer for the
new cinema complex. Cinema Five was added
in the mid-1990s, in what was the original
dress circle - making the Strand a five screen
site.
In recent times, two of the auditoria have been
converted into Boutique Cinemas, offering
improved seating with more leg room and the
convenience of a liquor licence.
Externally, the façade still exists as it was in
1916. The original stained glass windows still
exist on all three levels, featuring vines and
red flowers whilst the original lady statue
below the protruding projection booth also still
stands in her place.
Internally, little remains of the 1916 decor
apart from the pressed metal ceiling and
cornices of the auditorium, along with the
original entry tiles, which feature a tessellated
design of the Maltese Cross.

14 CINEMARECORD # 90