Astor Theatre to be protected under the State's heritage laws

28/5/98

One of Perth's most famous Art Deco cinemas is to be protected under the State's heritage laws, Heritage Minister Graham Kierath said.

"Mt Lawley's Astor Theatre was built in 1914 for a mixture of vaudeville and lantern sideshows," he said.

"Nearly 85 years later, it is still used as a cinema and forms an important part of Mt Lawley's entertainment and dining precinct."

The Astor Theatre was originally designed in the Federation Free Classical style but was substantially remodelled in 1939 in the Inter-War Art Deco style.

"The Astor reflects the theatre and cinema history of Perth," Mr Kierath said.

"It boomed with the arrival of silent and then talking pictures, suffered during the Depression, prospered again for a period and then felt the impact of the arrival of television.

"At one stage the Astor became a shadow of its former self, was dilapidated and was reduced to screening pornographic films.

"Today, with the revival of cinema-going, it has been restored to its former glory and is a thriving business."

Mr Kierath said the theatre, originally known as the Lyceum Theatre, was built in 1914.

Cinema attendances soon outstripped all other forms of entertainment and by 1921, Australian cinemas raked in more than $68 million in admission fees.

By 1922, the Lyceum was advertising "motion pictures and popular orchestra" and it was soon converted to a cinema, changing its name to the State Theatre.

Soon after, an outdoor picture garden was built with an entrance on Beaufort Street.

"Talking films were introduced in 1928 and cinemas were at their most popular, although the industry took heavy financial losses during the Depression," Mr Kierath said.

"After the Depression, the film industry wanted to develop a new image and help people forget the bad times, so the State Theatre was modernised.

"William Leighton, a leading cinema architect of the late 1930s who also worked on the Windsor, Cygnet, Piccadilly and Plaza cinemas, redesigned the building in the Art Deco style.

"Art Deco represented all that was new and modern and represented a desire to get away from the old way of doing things."

The remodelled theatre was opened on May 12, 1939 and it shared films with the Civic in Beaufort Street, Inglewood.

In 1941, the State Theatre became the Astor.

The cinema's fortunes ebbed and flowed over the years as it faced competition from first television and then videos.

In the late 1980s Sydney entrepreneur Ron Regan took a five year lease on the Astor and spent $600,000 on restoration works, reopening in July 1989.

"This building is a fine example of Art Deco design and is highly valued by the Mt Lawley and general community," Mr Kierath said.

"It is something of a landmark in the area and forms a significant streetscape with the Alexander and Beaucott buildings opposite."

Media contact: Steve Manchee 9481 2133