Page 9 - CR

OPEN CLOSED

The building’s conversion by
architects H.O. Woodhouse & Danks
included three levels of offices, 17
residential letting rooms and 6 shops,
as well as an entirely new entrance to
the cinemas from Oxford Street -
allowing for meeting rooms for the
Greek Orthodox Community (now
owners) in the former foyer and
upstairs area. Later, space would also
be let for the operation of a nightclub.
The strikingly modern Academy
Twin Cinema was leased by the
Canberra-based Cinema Center Group
and opened to the public on 29th July
1973 with “Fritz The Cat” in Cinema
500, and Roman Polanski’s “Macbeth”
in Cinema 300 (so named for their
approximate seating capacities).
Palace Cinema’s have continued the
art-house programming policy for some
years now, however a dispute with the
Greek Community owners over rental
increases and the need for an expensive
upgrade, saw Palace decide to not
renew their lease.
The Academy Twin Cinema
therefore closed on June 27th 2010 and
all seating, screens and equipment was
removed soon after.
After providing an amazing 99
years of cinema entertainment to the
masses, have the doors closed
permanently this time? Or is there
another exciting chapter yet to unfold?
Time will tell.
A CENTURY

OF CINEMA

Information and Photographs provided by:
Cameron Glendinning; Olga Nowicka; Aaron
Stroop; Kevin Adams and the CATHS archives.

CINEMARECORD 2010 9