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HOYTS MID CITY CINEMAS, MELBOURNE

by Cameron Hall

have read different accounts concerning the
Iorigins of the term brutalism. It's not a
comforting word, but I expect that’s just the
point.

The salient brutalist features of the Mid City
building and its cinemas at 200 Bourke Street
Melbourne have underpinned various Heritage
Reviews over the years. So too has Mid City’s
more than two decade contribution to Hoyts
near century of cinema presence along Bourke
Street, which ended in 2005.
A 2011 Heritage Review of the Mid City
building, undertaken by Graeme Butler &
Associates, concludes that the former Hoyts
Mid City Cinemas are significant as a
“successful blend of traditional romantic
cinema design with modern functional
requirements in an early use of Brutalist large
scale commercial architecture in the State.”

Today, the Mid City building is home to
Melbourne’s single-screen Chinatown
Cinema, the last remaining cinema on Bourke
Street.

It is now one-quarter of a century since Hoyts
departed the Mid City Cinemas. I’ve heard
few lamentations in response over the past 25
years. I’m sorry about it. The Mid City
Cinemas were something of a lucky charm for
me. Through good luck or good management
I saw some excellent movies there. I don’t
recall a bad occasion. The configuration of the
auditoria and the projection areas were
innovative and merit further discussion.

Former Mid City projectionist, David
Kilderry, points out that the original two large
auditoria were “great for big films, especially
in 70 mm. I enjoyed both equally,” and they
were “arguably the best large complex
auditoria in which to see a movie. Good shopping arcade and a carpark (entered from for their 1962 Grandstand design at Sandown
sightlines (better than Cinema Centre due to Little Bourke Street). A September 1968 plan Racecourse. In 1970 they designed the former
the increased stadium style design), big curved reveals optical centre lines for two projectors City of Doncaster Municipal Offices. The
screens and nice dimensions. Russell Cinema 6 and one slide machine in both cinemas. Hoyts Total Carpark is noteworthy as perhaps the
and Village Centre Cinema 1 had better sound, was approached as a lessee and, after fitting- most outstanding example in Victoria of
but they came later of course.” out the interior, opened the cinemas in brutalism in the style of renowned Japanese
November 1970. architect Kenzo Tange.
The address 200 Bourke Street Melbourne has
a nostalgic resonance, being once the site of My beloved Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art In the 1999 publication Melbourne
Parer Brothers’ Restaurant Cafe Hotel 200. Terms informs me that brutalism is, in fact, a Architecture, Philip Goad discusses several of
The three Parer Brothers had many hotels and term coined in England in 1954 to describe the Bogle and Banfield’s innovative designs,
restaurants in Melbourne. It was common for architecture of Le Corbusier at Marseilles and among which he includes“the boldly
Catalans arriving in Melbourne between the Chandigarh, and “it is characterised by its use expressive Mid City Cinemas.”
1860s and 1920s to find employment at one of of concrete exposed at its roughest (beton brut)
the Parer establishments, the most famous of with an emphasis on big chunky members The distinctive red oxide façade of the Mid
which was the superb, multifarious Parer’s which collide ruthlessly.” Wow! City building is indeed confronting. It upholds
Crystal Café at 103 Bourke Street. Mid City as no mere imitation of either its
Bogle and Banfield and associated project neighbours, nor of commercial city buildings
Interestingly, construction of the Mid City architects were already experienced exponents generally. The 2011 Heritage Review notes
Cinemas was not a Hoyts project. The Mid of the brutalist architectural style when they that the Mid City building is further
City building was designed in 1968-69 by the embarked upon the Mid City assignment. distinguished from other city commercial
firm Bogle and Banfield. The building was Melbourne’s Japanese Brutalist Total Carpark buildings by its lack of natural light. However,
constructed by E. A. Watts Pty Ltd. Architect in Russell Street (1964-65) and St. Vincent’s windows recessed behind concrete louvres do
Gordon Banfield and the company Ralton Private Hospital (c. 1972) are notable examples alleviate this to an extent, as well as providing
Holdings developed space for two cinemas, a of their work. Bogle and Banfield won prizes textural relief to the front and back facades.

6 CINEMARECORD # 94