Page 6 - CinemaRecord #84

The Town Hall Cinemas of Victoria

The Swan Hill Town Hall

Victoria’s Premier Town Hall Cinema

By Gerry Kennedy
wan Hill today is a prosperous border city during the 1930s. Later versions were reminiscent of a large, quality suburban
Ssituated on the Murray River, some 350 constructed during the 1950s and 1960s in cinema. The Town Hall was entered from
km north west of Melbourne. The city is the Tallangatta, Corryong, Woomelang (see McCallum Street and the Shire Offices
main regional centre in the rural area CinemaRecord No. 21) and Toora, to name a were entered from Beveridge Street. The
specialising in cropping, cattle, sheep, irrigated few. Acoustics were considered, along with complex was built by G.S. Gay of Ivanhoe
fruit growing, dairying and tourism. good sight lines for film projection. Properly (Melbourne). The Town Hall was opened
designed projection areas were also on 17 September 1935.
Early films were screened in the Shire Hall in incorporated in the designs.
Beveridge Street, the Memorial Hall (built The town hall façade is imposing to say the
1922 in McCrae Street and known as the When the Swan Hill Shire Council decided to least. It is constructed in solid brick, with
Majestic), and The Palms open air (also build a new Town Hall and Civic Offices various surfaces plaster rendered in smooth
known as the Lyceum theatre). complex on the site of the old Town Hall, or roughcast applications with horizontal
Frank O’Halloran, a cinema entrepreneur bands. There are towers on each end of the
Given that many country communities could from Balranald (New South Wales), entered parapet which were also used for the forced
neither afford, nor justify the construction of into negotiations with the Council. He air ventilation system. Within the two
the new generation of “picture palaces” proposed to take a long term lease over the arched sections located on each side of the
appearing in metropolitan areas and large Town Hall to operate it as the Regent façade there are two niches, containing
country towns, many new town halls were Theatre. (The Frank O’Halloran story is to be urns. A cantilevered verandah runs across
constructed with cinema facilities. found in CinemaRecord No. 22). No doubt he most of the frontage of the hall.
would have suggested many of the features
During the late 1920s, the magnificent incorporated in the new town hall. The ten entrance doors, and windows
Yarrawonga Town Hall was built, along with The Swan Hill Town Hall is situated at 53-57 above, have the words “Shire of Swan Hill
Traralgon Town Hall, with cinema in mind. McCallum Street and was designed by A.C. Town Hall” and the Shire crest sandblasted
Other examples of Victorian town Leith and Associate Architects of Melbourne. into the glass. On entering the main foyer,
hall/cinemas were built in Morwell, Euroa, The building was extremely modern for its the impression was of a distinctively
Casterton, Warracknabeal and Wycheproof time and, except for its flat floor, was eastern influence with colour tints ranging

Auditorium 1992 prior to major renovations. Image: Les Tod

6 CINEMARECORD # 84