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Upstairs, the mezzanine lounge
utilised both wall lights and indirect
lighting. For daytime patrons, the floor
to ceiling windows afforded the
possibility of natural light into this
space, while full-length drapes
provided evening glamour. Furniture in
the mezzanine lounge was understated
and elegant. Ross Thorne has described
this foyer as possessing ‘a serenity and
simplicity, or as Building comments an
elegance, which was rarely seen in
Australia.’
The clever design - simple yet
interesting - continued into the
auditorium. From the rear to the stage,
narrow plaster projections divided the
curved walls into five bands. These
‘primary’ bands were joined by an
additional four projecting bands above
the exits to either side of the
proscenium, creating a streamlined
‘frame’ for the screen.
The ceiling was tiered and
accentuated along the walls by slender
projections of chrome and glass light
boxes stepping down to the auditorium.
Opening night was a Who’s Who of
the world of film exhibition. All of the
Hoyts’ brass attended, including their
WA representative Mr. Stan Perry, an
indication of the company's plans for
the west.
Present too was Robert McLeish
Snr. in his role as President of the
Victorian Cinema Exhibitors
Association and Robert Mcleish Jnr.
Both men already shared one fine
Taylor theatre with Hoyts, the Regal
Hartwell and would soon have another,
the Rivoli Camberwell.
There is an elation in the news
reporting, an awareness that Albury has
been selected for ‘cutting edge’ design
‘in keeping with the progressive
building policy of the town, which is
going ahead in leaps and bounds’.
Hoyts Albury is long gone, yet it
lives on in the grown-up memory of a
little girl - the birthplace of her love of
Art Deco and the modern style. ★

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Helen Livsey, Hon. Research Officer
for the Albury and District Historical
Society and Les Tod (CATHS) provided
important information.

From the top: A ‘ship’s prow’ ticket box in a foyer described as ‘splashed with colour
in mandarine and buff’. The Crying Room had a plentiful supply of toys.

24 2008 CINEMARECORD