Memorial Hall

Statement of Significance

DEMONSTRATION OF A WAY OF LIFE: The original Soldier's Memorial Hall was constructed as an all purpose hall for the rate payers of Mosman Park and has served the residents of Mosman Park in one form or another for over 70 years. The Hall played an important part in the social life of the community. The building incorporated a Road Board Administration Office, Community Hall (including a Picture Theatre with Gardens attached). As such it has served local residents from 1921 to 1965 when offices were relocated. During this time the main hall has hosted social events such as dances, concerts, flower shows and picture shows regularly with attendances commonly exceeding 250 people. There would be few long time residents without fond memories of the building during a period which predated television. These would include Mr. Jack PIatt, son of Tom PIatt, who recalled his father's comments regarding the first silent picture showing at the hall. The attendance at that time was 439. In the 1930s sound picture shows were regularly held in the main hall and In the adjoining picture gardens. During the 1940s the cinema was well-patronised, especially on Saturday Night when "long queues awaiting entry would snake around the building and continue down Lochee Street "(I) Both the hardtop and summer gardens were very popular through to the late 1950s when the advent of television spelt the death knell for many cinemas in W*A, Reference: Taped interview Lyn Huxtable, projectionist. SCARCITY VALUE The Mosman Park Hall which includes a picture theatre and gardens is the only example of it's kind left standing in Western Australia. The building is a rare example of the incorporation of a local government administration building and a picture theatre in Western Australia. The design chosen by the architects in 1939 was typical of many cinemas dating from that time, though unique to Perth. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Prominent citizens connected with the Mosman Park Memorial Hall arc: The architects Kreightmeyer and Rowe and Marshall Waller Clifton Picture Theatre Propreiters the Hatfield Family, who also ran Cottesloe Picture Theatre and Lido Gardens

Physical Description

The style of architecture chosen by the architects was typical of many cinemas dating from this time, though quite unique to Perth. This Streamlined Art Moderne "Odeon” design radically altered the appearance of the old Hall. At the same time, the main hall was completely modernised for the showing of the movies. Inspiration for the_building no doubt came from the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Las Angeles. Like the famous American Showroom, the additions to the Town Hall offer little more than a facade on a barn of a building, though the symbolism was arresting and brought a touch of modernism to Mosman Part. Here the hint of the fin-shaped pylons over the entrance to the hall reflect the public's fascination with the machine aesthetic during that period. Read from across the street, the 1939 building presents a deeply recessed and dramatic frontage. This predominant design suitably expressed the dual nature of the building, which; like its predecessor, was planned to house both the Road Board Offices and the picture theatre. The sculptural qualities of the structure resulted from the need to express the duality of function. One of the most arresting features of the building is the prominent lower block situated on the vest side over the entrance to the cinema. This nautical style created an access to the lobby upstairs The tower is decorated by a vertical ladder-like formation an optimistic touch which was symptomatic of the times This is intercepted by a band of three racing stripes projecting from the face of the building. Typifying speed and motion, the stripes are interrupted at perpendicular angles above the openings to the balconies to form fin-like projections which enhance the speed motifs These eye catching elements were designed to attract the attention of the passerby. The exterior of the building is surprisingly well preserved, despite its lack of attention in recent years. Here vertical fenestrations are embellished with quoin-like decorations and are today painted a brick red shade, these tend to contribute to the Germanic tone of the building. The original glass and jarrah doors are still intact at balcony level. These are embellished with horizontal stripes which complement the racing stripes elsewhere on the building.

History

Assessment 1991 Construction 1921 Additions 1939 The building formerly called Cottesloe Beach Hall and before that Soldiers Memorial Hall, has been known since 1989 as the Mosman Park Memorial Hall. The structure is situated on the comer of Lochee Street and Solomon Streets, Mosman Park and is surrounded on the east, south and west by Davis Oval, Nash Field and Mann Oval. The building was to serve for forty four years as the office and administration centre of the local government office, as it evolved from Road Board and then to Shire Office. SOLDIERS MEMORIALHALL: The original Soldiers Memorial Hall was built in 1921.with loan money at the suggestion of the Soldiers" Welfare Committee. ThA design vas a solid symmetrical structure which gave the appearance of an education institution. The official opening of this building took the form of an "open invitation to a free picture night for ratepayers. The programme was a Paramount Picture called “You Can-t Have Everything” In those days of silent movies the programme began at 8.00pm and vas accompanied by full orchestra. Pictures were presented in the main hall. It has not been established whether the picture gardens existed before these alterations. One reliable source has suggested that the open air venue was in operation from the very early days. In any case the gardens were certainly operational during the 1930s and were remembered with affection by local residents. Although picture gardens are not entirely unique to Western Australia, due to the climate they are a fairly distinctive feature- It is evident that the local Road Board Office saw it entirely appropriate to link their administrative Office with a community centre which included provision for the projecting of the movies. This can be seen as an indication of the importance of the movie theatre to the social life of the community at the time. Although pictures were shown in this way all over the State, the notion of redesigning the local town hall to accommodate a cinema vas an uncommon occurrence. 1939 ADDITIONS. With the existing summer gardens in mind the original Hall was extensively altered for use as a cinema by architects A.B. Kreitmeyer and G-A. Rove in 1939.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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