Page 27 - CinemaRecord #85

In 1967 the cinema was renovated reducing the seating capacity to approximately 1,000 and in May 1968 a new 70mm screen was installed.
The last screening at the cinema occurred on 4 December 1971. The demolition was a speedy affair brought about by plans to widen High Street,
and despite protest by community groups it was effected within four weeks, in March 1972.

The Oriana auditorium and proscenium just before closure Image: Fremantle City Library Local History Collection

THE PALLADIUM THEATRE

The Palladium Theatre (and/or Gardens?) opened in 1916 and closed in the
late 1940s. Higham's Buildings in Market St occupied the whole block
between Bannister and High Streets: the Palladium was behind the southern
(or left-hand) third of the building. The offices and shops of the street frontage
are still in situ, but the cinema —whatever it was—is long gone.

The 'theatre' was on or very close to the corner of Bannister Street, so that
access might have been possible from there as well as from what I assume
was the main entrance on Market St.

I write 'and/or gardens' above because I suspect that the 'theatre' may always
have been a largely outdoor facility. This is on the basis of a report on the
West Australian of 6 May 1976, with this photograph (below). It seems Higham's Building, about 1914, showing the name PALLADIUM in the
reasonable to infer from this report that the gallery shown is in fact the original left-hand of the building's three pediments. Below The building today,
'theatre' building, and that the ground floor was 'gardens' with seating of some the pediment which used to have the PALLADIUM sign in it.
kind.

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