Radio Theatre Building

Physical Description

Steel, brick & concrete

History

Assessment 1989 Construction 1937. Opened April 9, 1937 The Radio Theatre was the first cinema to be built in the Art Deco style in Western Australia and was a forerunner to the streamlined variety erected in Western Australia towards the end of the decade. Opening in April, 1937, it preceded the Windsor (the first Art Deco cinema in Perth and suburbs) by six months . The Radio was designed by Samual Rosenthal, an early pioneer in the cinematic style who had designed the Gaiety in South Perth and the Hurlingham (both demolished), the Regent in Guildford, the Rosemount in North Perth and many others in the period prior to the late Thirties, after which time he was also responsible for the Beacon in South Fremantle and the Mayfair in Bunbury(now demolished). Commissioned ·by Mr . Alf Wheat, whose symbol is circumscribed in the facade and stands on the corner of Marine Terrace and Fitzgerald Street, Geraldton within a complex which contains upstairs living quarters and shops downstairs. Rosenthal's original plan included a service station and demonstrates a way of life important to the development of the town of Geraldton during the prosperous years of the late 1930s. The ownership of the complex has changed hands several times in the past few years. The former owner, who named his original theatre built in 1930 (still standing at the rear of the 1937 version) in honour of the phenonema which he believed would eclipse all others. The 1930 version still contains the original Radio Theatre logo . Recent details . which have retained the elaborate Art Deco detail ing and original seating in the upstairs lounge, have removed the raker floor. As late as 1988 the managing syndicate intended to provide live entertainment facilities for the youth of Geraldton in an effort to bring some life back to the former town hub, which still presents an arresting facade. Usage .has changed again in recent months and the building is now occupied by a religious group who use it for prayer meetings . The group has unfortunately bricked in part of the original frontage and eliminated the proscenium, though have given the interior a coat of paint . The Radio Theatre. which ceased to operate as a cinema in 1971 is at present under threat of new development. It is feared that the imminent removal of the railway line along the foreshore running parallel to Marine Terrace will draw attention to the valuable commercial site.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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