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Street with City Road. Here he built a
cavernous brick and iron-roofed
structure.
This site, on the south side of the
Yarra River near Prince’s Bridge, is
now part of Melbourne’s performing
arts precinct, held as open space for the
Arts Centre.
West’s Picture Palace was
designed by prominent architect, the
Hon. William Pitt, M.L.C. and was
opened on 16 September 1909 by the
Governor of Victoria and his good lady.
Pitt’s credentials as a traditional
theatre architect (the Princess -1886, the
Kings -1908) were hardly in evidence
on this project; the priority seems to
have been to get as many people as
possible under one roof, with little
regard for the niceties of decoration.
As if taking a cue from the
foundries and heavy industries nearby,
the auditorium was as plain as a
factory. The novelty of moving images
on a screen was apparently enough to
satisfy most patrons. A proscenium
(and presumably curtains to match),
(9)
was not fitted until 1918.
The building measured about 165
feet in length and was 87feet wide
(50m.x 26m.) and had an open span of
about 80 feet (24m.)
West claimed a design capacity of
about 5,000 people; however the Board
of Health rated it at a mere 4,000! The
Bioscope stated that the theatre seated
(8)
4,000 comfortably, but in their 3
February 1910 issue, the claim was for
a license to seat over 5000!
The Kinematograph and Lantern
Weekly reported that the front of the
theatre was of Moorish design; the
interior decorated in blue, terra-cotta
(1)
and buff.
The entrance hall had a granolithic
pavement leading to two carpeted
staircases. The main hall was raked
about four feet (1.2m.) over its length.
The 400-seat capacity dress circle was
carpeted and fitted with opera seats
From the top: The fortress-like exterior of West’s Palace; The spartan interior was no
accessible from ‘an elegantly appointed
barrier to a full house. The balcony comprised five rows of seats.
foyer’, all of which was supported by a
(1) Images: K &L Weekly 14 Oct.1909.
number of five-ton steel girders.
No seat, up-stairs or down-stairs One irate patron wrote a letter of in the front seat sitting on my knees,
had an obstructed view, and they all complaint to the Board of Health about and a person sitting behind from
had backs! the seats: digging his knees in my back. Also, the
How was it possible to cram so There is only eight inches between seats are marked off at regulation
many people into this building? By them. This is bad enough, but when distance, but they move the people up
(9)
skimping on leg-room and squeezing people have to pass one another, it is closer, and squeeze others in.
people into the rows. In the stalls the cramped, uncomfortable and annoying, Other features of Wests’ included
seats seem to have been like church in fact some people cannot pass. Often piped steam/radiator heating, an
pews, and were not fixed to the floor. I have to sit sideways to avoid people opening roof panel, 40 feet by 20 feet

CINEMARECORD 2006 7