Page 10 - CinemaRecord #85

the Bull ‘N Bush and Naughty Nineties Thea-
tre Restaurant Music Hall.

Dance classes and theatricals continued up-
stairs for years, but by 2000 the Glen Arcade
was a dowdy collection of shops, more or less
air-brushed from the concerns of the locals.
Gentrification of the suburb has called for
fresh thinking about a faded asset, and its
rejuvenation is now in progress. H
Exterior of the former Glen Arcade 2014. Image: Shane Moore
References:
1. Hawthorn and Camberwell Citizen
12 April 1912
2. Hawthorn and Camberwell Citizen
11 January 1918
3. Health Department file, Glenferrie
Theatre, Public Records Office
4. Building 24 June 1939
5. The Hawthorn Standard,
Wednesday 26 April 1939
Acknowledgments:

I thank Eddie and Lindy Tamir for the opportunity
to view the interior of the building during its recon-
struction.

Mrs Shirley Ramsey of the Hawthorn Historical
Society kindly sourced photos and information.

Frank Van Straten dated one image

The CATHS Research Group inspect the work in progress. Image: Royce Harris
Next to the boiler room down-
stairs was a large Bauer D.C. gen-
erator, the only one I have ever
seen, for the arc-lamp supply.
The Glen Arcade emerged after
bulldozing the stalls and substi-
tuting shops and a central walk-
way from Glenferrie Road to the
rear car-park. Any remaining or-
namentation on the facade was
stripped back.

Upstairs, various lessees promot-
ed dance schools in the balcony
foyer areas. Rembrandt Recep-
tions moved into the space from
balcony to stage.

In 1975 the auditorium became
the Naughty Nineties Music Hall,
which ran under a succession of
owners, morphing in 1984 into

The 1939 horse shoe shaped pressed
metal ceiling. Image: Royce Harris

10 CINEMARECORD # 85