The Auditorium was an eight-storey Edwardian building at 167–173 Collins Street, Melbourne, between Swanston and Russell streets, named for its great hall, which was intended for concerts, but was mostly used as a cinema.37°48′54″S 144°58′05″E / 37.815°S 144.968°E
The building
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The Auditorium was a tall building with a red brick facade, designed by Nahum Barnet and constructed by Clements Langford Pty. Ltd., one of Melbourne's leading builders, in 1912. Their client was the Melbourne Presbyterian Church, owners of the land, on which St Enoch's Church had once stood. The church had their offices at the Assembly Hall on the other side of Collins Street.[1]
The concert hall
editThe Auditorium was designed primarily for concerts, and was developed by theatre impresarios J. & N. Tait,[1] and was located behind the eight-storey office building, with a separate entry from the street, an arrangement similar to its namesake, the Auditorium Building in Chicago. The sparely finished concert hall seated 2000 in the stalls, a 'grand tier', and a balcony.[2][3] It opened on 17 May 1913, with a performance by the renowned soprano Clara Butt. The Auditorium was not a great success; and as early as 1915 it was showing motion pictures.[4]
Later history
editThe concert hall was remodelled as the Metro Theatre for MGM, being fully gutted in February 1934, rebuilt in sumptuous style, and opened on 27 April 1934, having taken ten weeks to complete.[1] The manager for MGM was Bert Cowen, who had been manager at The Auditorium when it screened the MGM film The White Sister in 1925.[1]
It was renamed Mayfair Theatre in 1975 when taken over by Greater Union, and finally closed in 1982.[5]
In 1985, the interior was completely remodelled around a central dome housing numerous high end boutiques and named "Figgins Diorama". The venture was not successful, closing after 19 months.[6] The space then reopened briefly as the ‘Shop of Shops’ before closing again. The corner theatre space remained unused, while the office block remained as low rental spaces.[citation needed]
Finally, in 2010, everything but the facade was demolished, and a 17-level premium-grade office building was built, with BHP as the major tenant, completed in 2013.[7][8] The facade was restored, and remains listed by Heritage Victoria.[9]
Notes and references
edit- ^ a b c d "Modern Theatre for City". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 17, 768. Victoria, Australia. 27 April 1934. p. 3. Retrieved 19 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Auditorium". The Telegraph. No. 12551. Queensland, Australia. 8 February 1913. p. 9. Retrieved 12 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "New Concert Hall". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 20, 105. Victoria, Australia. 29 December 1910. p. 4. Retrieved 12 October 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Auditorium". Prahran Telegraph (Vic. : 1889 - 1930). 17 May 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "Mayfair Theatre in Melbourne, AU - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "Figgins Diorama, an elite dream fades". news.google.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ Hopkins, Philip (15 November 2011). "In with the old and in with the new as architect faces Collins Street challenge". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "171 Collins Street". Corporate. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "Former Auditorium Building". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2021.