Oriana Cinema

Oriana Cinema was an art deco picture theatre at the sharply angled intersection of High Street and Queen Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. It opened in August 1938 as Hoyts Fremantle, a cinema developed by Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd, a local company formed by Fremantle businessmen in association with Hoyts Theatres Limited. The building was designed by Melbourne architects H. Vivian Taylor and Soilleux, whose other theatre work included the Windsor Theatre in Windsor, the Padua Theatre in Brunswick and the Plaza Theatre in Perth. The cinema was conceived as a substantial local entertainment venue, with an intended capacity of approximately 1,300 patrons. Its prominent corner position encouraged an especially distinctive design. The foyer, lounge and stairways used rounded, spherical forms, while the building incorporated several amenities that were unusual for its period, including a suspended or floating screen, a soundproof crying room for parents with infants, and a powder bar in the women's lounge. Rather than relying on air conditioning, the theatre used a ducted ventilation system. The opening ceremony took place on 4 August 1938 and was conducted by Fremantle's acting mayor, Councillor Stevens. The opening programme included Walt Disney Productions' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the Shirley Temple film Love on a Budget. The venue operated under the Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd management structure until 1961, when it was acquired by a consortium that included Goldfields Pictures and City Theatres, the latter associated with TVW. Following the change in ownership, the cinema adopted the name Oriana Cinema. The theatre was modernised in 1967, a renovation that reduced its seating capacity to about 1,000. In May 1968 it received a new 70 mm screen, reflecting the period's emphasis on large-format exhibition and upgraded cinematic presentation. Its final screening took place on 4 December 1971. The cinema was demolished in March 1972, reportedly within approximately four weeks, after plans to widen High Street made the site vulnerable. Local community groups protested the loss, but the demolition proceeded even though the proposed road widening was ultimately not carried out. A replacement building was erected farther back from the road in consideration of the neighbouring Victoria Hall. The site later accommodated a succession of retail and commercial tenants, including Walsh's Mens Wear from 1972 and Geoffrey Bruce Men's Clothier from June 1979. By 2012, the replacement premises contained a café, bookshop, real-estate agency, church and tax-agent office. Oriana Cinema therefore survives primarily as a documented example of Fremantle's interwar cinema architecture rather than as an operating cinema brand.

The site on which Oriana Cinema was built had a long pre-cinema history. It had previously been occupied by the Rose and Crown Hotel, constructed in 1830. During the late nineteenth century the property was also used as a school, and later as a private residence and lodging rooms. In 1937, Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd proposed a purpose-built picture theatre for the corner of High Street and Queen Street. The company had been formed by local businessmen together with Hoyts Theatres Limited, linking local investment with a major Australian cinema operator. The theatre was designed by Melbourne architects H. Vivian Taylor and Soilleux. Their work was associated with several notable Australian theatres, and their design for the Fremantle site responded to its unusually acute corner. The resulting building had a strong art deco character and a visually prominent exterior. Inside, rounded forms shaped the entrance foyer, lounge and stairways. The auditorium and public areas were planned not merely as a film-showing room but as a modern leisure destination, with a floating screen, ducted ventilation and a soundproof room where parents could remain in the cinema while tending to crying babies. The women's lounge also included a powder bar. Hoyts Fremantle officially opened on Thursday, 4 August 1938. The ceremony was performed by Fremantle's acting mayor, Councillor Stevens. Its first programme paired Disney's animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with Love on a Budget, a Shirley Temple film. The venue was planned to accommodate around 1,300 people and became an identifiable part of Fremantle's commercial and entertainment streetscape. Management remained with Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd until 1961. That year a consortium including Goldfields Pictures and City Theatres acquired the cinema. City Theatres was owned by or connected with TVW. The ownership transition was accompanied by a change in identity: Hoyts Fremantle became Oriana Cinema. The new name was used during the theatre's later operating period, when cinema technology and audience expectations were changing rapidly. A renovation carried out in 1967 reduced seating capacity to approximately 1,000. The following year, in May 1968, the cinema installed a 70 mm screen, giving it the ability to present large-format productions. This upgrade was among the last notable improvements recorded for the venue. The cinema's final screening occurred on 4 December 1971. The building's end was tied to urban-planning proposals rather than a documented corporate bankruptcy or safety scandal. Plans to widen High Street led to the decision to remove the theatre. Community groups objected to the loss of the distinctive art deco building, but demolition took place in March 1972 and was completed rapidly, reportedly within four weeks. The planned road widening did not ultimately proceed. A replacement building was positioned farther back from the street, partly respecting the adjacent Victoria Hall. The replacement site was subsequently used by a range of commercial and community tenants. Walsh's Mens Wear occupied the building from 1972, followed by Geoffrey Bruce Men's Clothier from June 1979. Later occupants recorded in 2012 included La Tropicana Café, Magpie Books, Raine and Horne Real Estate Agency, Potters House Christian Church and ITP Tax Agents. The Oriana Cinema itself is no longer extant, but its architecture, programming, technical features and demolition remain part of Fremantle's cinema and urban history.

• 1972

  Building demolished

  [1]Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema was demolished in March after plans to widen High Street, despite objections from community groups.

• 1971

  Final screening

  [1]Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The last known screening at Oriana Cinema took place on 4 December.

• 1968

  70 mm screen installed

  [1]Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  A new 70 mm screen was installed in May, upgrading the cinema's large-format presentation capability.

• 1967

  Major renovation

  [1]Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Renovation work reduced the theatre's seating capacity from approximately 1,300 to about 1,000.

• 1961

  Venue renamed Oriana Cinema

  [1]Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  A consortium including Goldfields Pictures and City Theatres acquired the cinema, which subsequently adopted the Oriana name.

• 1938

  Hoyts Fremantle opens

  [1]Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre officially opened on 4 August 1938 with an opening programme featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Love on a Budget.

• 1937

  Purpose-built theatre proposed

  [1]Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd proposed a new picture theatre at the corner of High Street and Queen Street in Fremantle.

A prominent local picture theatre combining interwar art deco design with modern audience amenities and later large-format film presentation.

• Film exhibition · 1938

  Cinema exhibition

  Oriana Cinema's principal offering was public exhibition of feature films in a purpose-built auditorium. The venue opened with a mixed programme of a major animated feature and a Shirley Temple film, illustrating the broad popular-entertainment role of the theatre. Its amenities included a floating screen, dedicated audience lounges and a soundproof crying room for parents with infants.

• Large-format cinema · 1968

  70 mm film presentation

  A 70 mm screen was installed in May 1968 following a renovation the previous year. The upgrade extended the cinema's technical capability into large-format presentation during the final years of its operation, although the available record does not identify particular 70 mm titles shown there.

• 1972

  Demolition following road-widening plansOther

  Background

  Plans to widen High Street placed the cinema site at risk, although the proposed road widening was ultimately not implemented.

  Action taken

  The building was demolished in March 1972 after the final screening in December 1971.

  Aftermath

  Community groups protested the loss of the art deco theatre. A replacement building was constructed farther back from the road and later housed retail and commercial tenants.

  Source

• 1967

  Renovation and capacity reductionGeneration change

  Background

  The theatre required modernisation after more than two decades of operation.

  Action taken

  A renovation reduced seating capacity from about 1,300 to approximately 1,000.

  Aftermath

  The venue subsequently received a 70 mm screen in May 1968, indicating continued investment in presentation technology.

  Source

• 1961

  Ownership transfer and rebrandingM&A

  Background

  The cinema had operated under Hoyts (Fremantle) Pty Ltd since its opening. In 1961 it was acquired by a consortium that included Goldfields Pictures and City Theatres, associated with TVW.

  Action taken

  The new ownership structure changed the venue's name from Hoyts Fremantle to Oriana Cinema.

  Aftermath

  The Oriana name continued until the cinema's closure and demolition in the early 1970s.

  Source

1. 1Oriana Cinemaen.wikipedia.org