Local Government
Broome
Region
Kimberley
8 Carnarvon St Broome
REGISTERED AS INDIVIDUAL PLACE ALSO REGISTERED AS PART OF 291
Dry Goods Store
Sun Picture Theatre
Broome
Kimberley
Constructed from 1916
Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
---|---|---|---|---|
Heritage List | Adopted | 28 Aug 2014 | ||
State Register | Registered | 09 Feb 1996 |
Register Entry Assessment Documentation |
Heritage Council |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
---|---|---|---|
(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Category | Description | ||||
Art Deco Significant Bldg Survey | Completed |
|
Heritage Council | ||
Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 08 Mar 1983 |
|
Heritage Council | |
Register of the National Estate | Permanent | 18 Apr 1989 |
|
Heritage Council | |
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 28 Aug 2014 | Grading A |
Grading A |
Sun Picture Gardens, a rare example of a purpose built picture garden still in commercial operation. It is one of the oldest operating picture gardens in Australia. It is an integral and distinctive part of Broome’s social life, contributing greatly to the community’s sense of place and identity.
Double volume street frontage featuring a double gable clad with horizontal corrugated iron. The front is two levels with an outdoor (uncovered) seated area and recent screen and double storey accomodation facility at rear of the site.
Sun Picture Gardens was built in 1916, as a half-open and half-roofed cinema. The site was originally occupied by the Yamasaki emporium, which sold Asian foodstuffs, clothing and household goods. Master pearler Ted Hunter purchased the site and had Claude Hawkes design a cinema suitable for the Broome's climate. The place could accommodate 1,500 people. It opened on 6 December 1916 and segregated seating according to nationality continued until 1967. A moveable stage on tramlines was added in 1926 and used for school concerts. It was moved behind the screen in the early 1940s and converted to caretaker's quarters. In 1953, J. & P. Haynes leased the place and operated for 28 years. In 1981, after television was introduced to Broome, Sun Picture Gardens closed due to low attendances. In 1982, Lord McAlpine bought it and reopened. In 1987, Anthony Hutchinson and Marisa Ferraz purchased it and restored it and established Sun Pictures International Film Society showing films outside mainstream. The decline in television and video popularity in the mid 1990s, saw a resurgence in cinemas. Sun Picture Gardens is also a concert and wedding venue and is a tourism destination.
Modifications: Extensive restoration, and new construction at the rear, in recent years.
Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
---|---|---|---|
4153 | Sun Pictures, Broome : conservation plan. | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 1999 |
4603 | Sun Picture Theatre : Broome, W.A. : conservation works final report : grant allocation 1999/2000. | Report | 2000 |
4366 | Conservation Works Sun Picture Theatre: Final Report | Report | 2000 |
4090 | Sun Pictures Broome Conservation Works First Stage: Final Report | Report | 1999 |
9587 | Broome heritage trail. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1988 |
9462 | A pearler's wife: chapter extraction from 'A pearling master's journey'. | Book | 2009 |
9600 | Broome: maps and places of heritage interest. | Heritage Study {Other} | 0 |
8335 | Historic buildings of the Kimberley region of W.A. | Book | 1988 |
924 | Reflections of the Sun: a short history of the Sun Picture Gardens. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1991 |
Individual Building or Group
Epoch | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Original Use | SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL | Theatre or Cinema |
Present Use | SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL | Theatre or Cinema |
Type | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Wall | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
Wall | TIMBER | Other Timber |
General | Specific |
---|---|
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Sport, recreation & entertainment |
This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.