Cygnet Cinema

Statement of Significance

The following statement is taken from the Register Entry for Place 2404 Cygnet Cinema prepared by the State Heritage Office in 1994. The Como Cinema has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • the place is a demonstration of the new functional approach to cinema design in Perth in the late 1930s. The combination of one projection unit for both indoor auditorium and outdoor picture garden was an innovation of the period; • the place is a fine example of the Inter-War Functionalist style; • apart from being the first purpose-built sound cinema in the suburbs immediately south of the city, the place is rare as the least altered of the 1930s suburban cinemas of Perth that are in operation; • the place is closely associated with Western Australian cinema pioneer James Stiles, and cinema architect William Leighton; • the siting and distinctive form of the place has established Cygnet Cinema as a Como landmark; and • the place is valued and continues to be used by the community as a place of cinema entertainment

Physical Description

The Como Theatre constructed in 1938, is a two-storey brick building with a hipped corrugated galvanised iron roof behind a parapet wall. It is representative of the Inter-War Functionalist architectural style and features contrasting horizontal and vertical motifs, asymmetrical massing of geometric forms, cantilevered balconies and awning, and Art Deco style moulding and motifs inspired by a mixture of nautical and cinema themes. The façade is asymmetrical with a range of projecting elements at first floor level and a single storey chamfered edge coffee shop to the south west corner of the façade, projecting out beyond the building line of the theatre. The prominent central tower has a decorative central fluted strip and marks the transition from sharp angles to the prominent curved wall, with steel railings around the external walkway to the upper level. Metal framed window openings are arranged as a horizontal band, with three porthole openings above. The entrance to the theatre is by way of three sets of timber framed glass double doors. The external finishes are a mix of unpainted face brick in blond and dark tones to the ground level Preston Street frontage, portions of the tower, and banding at high level above the rectangular windows. The remainder of the building facade is painted cream, with no differentiation to banded elements. “Como Theatre” is a feature around the top of the curved wall in bas relief Art Deco style lettering. The site of the former outdoor picture theatre comprises an open area of loose asphalt with some remnant features including a brick retaining wall, brick steps and timber and chain mesh fencing along the eastern edge. An unsealed car parking area is located to the west (side) and north (rear) of the cinema. There is a wide blonde brick paved verge in front of the property, which has various street trees and seats. The building still reflects its original design intent although changes have occurred. The building was originally named “Como Theatre” the name of which still remains around the top of the curved wall in bas relief art deco style lettering. Additional signage used to be mounted on top of the tower and down the length of the tower, the mounting holes can still be seen. When renamed the Cygnet Cinema in 1968, the name waspainted on the rendered surface below the porthole openings. There is evidence of a blocked up opening at ground level in the curved wall.

History

The following information is largely drawn from the Heritage Council of Western Australia Assessment document prepared in for the inclusion of Cygnet Cinema in the State Register of Heritage Places in 1994 and additional research undertaken by Element Advisory on behalf of the owner. In the 1920s and 1930s Como Beach was in its heyday as a popular summer destination for camping, weekend picnics, swimming and holidays. This coincided with a boom period for cinema entertainment, which offered an inexpensive escape from the economic depression. The novelty of the sound revolution in cinema attracted many more filmgoers. The Stiles family came to South Perth in the late 19th century. Arabella Stiles, widower, moved from Melbourne to Perth in 1895 with her four sons and two daughters. She operated the Tea Gardens Hotel in Suburban Road, South Perth from 1897 to 1908. Her son James (Jimmy) (1897-1944) was employed by the South Perth Road Board, where he worked for several years as Assistant Town Clerk before and after serving in WWI. He later went into business with his brother Arthur (1885-1946) as 'Stiles & Stiles Land & Estate Agents’. The men were instrumental in residential and community development in Como and South Perth and were involved in philanthropic work. Jimmy Stiles could see the growth potential for cinema entertainment in the triangular area of South Perth and Como. His cinema empire began with the Gaiety Picture Theatre on the corner of Angelo and Coode streets, South Perth which he built with business partner Charlie Clydesdale. It opened in February 1927. In 1933, Jimmy Stiles opened the Hurlingham Picture Gardens, one of the earliest open-air cinemas in Perth. In 1935 he added the Hurlingham Theatre adjacent to the picture gardens. In 1936 Stiles purchased a lot on Preston Street to capitalise on the popularity of Como Beach and the location which was serviced by a regular ferry service and trams connecting to the city and surrounding suburbs. Stiles envisioned his Como Theatre to be the largest, the most modern and up-to-date cinema in the district, and the first cinema in the area built to screen 'talkies'. Stiles engaged architect, William Leighton of Baxter Cox and Leighton to design the Como Theatre. Leighton had earned his reputation as a leading cinema designer for his work on several Perth cinemas, including Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade, Windsor Theatre, and Astor Theatre, as well as the refurbishment of Royal Theatre and Grand Theatre. The emphasis of Leighton’s 1930s architecture was that of designing functional contemporary buildings and the Como Theatre reflects the Inter-War Functionalist architectural style using nautical motifs such as wavy lines, smooth flat curves and tubular handrails, and emphasis on both horizontal and the vertical aspects of the building. The plaster motifs used in Como Theatre were modelled by Edward Kohler, who worked for the Perth Modelling Works. Como Theatre was officially opened on 4 March 1938 by the chairman of the South Perth Road Board, G.V. Abjornson. It originally had an outdoor picture garden as well as an indoor auditorium. The concept of servicing both cinemas by the one mechanised 'bio box' was first introduced by Leighton in the design of the Windsor Theatre in Nedlands, completed six months before the Como Theatre. James Stiles died in 1944, but the extended Stiles family retained ownership interests in the South Perth and Perth movie scene through James's nephew, Arthur. (The Como Theatre was owned by the Stiles family until 2017.) James Stiles died of a heart attack in 1944. The Stiles family retained ownership interests in the South Perth and Perth movie scene, with James's nephew, Arthur, after World War II. Filmgoing in general experienced a decline in patronage over the 1950s and 1960s. Air conditioning was installed in the Como Theatre in 1968 in an attempt to compete with the popularity and comfort of television. Patronage, however, continued to fall. The picture garden was demolished in 1969. In 1968, the Como Theatre was selected to screen films for the Festival of Perth. It is believed that the theatre was renamed ‘Cygnet Cinema’ at this time, to associate the venue with the festival, for which the logo was a swan. From 1972 to 1976, it was the venue for the Perth International Film Festival. It was also again a venue for the Festival of Perth films while Sommerville was redeveloped in 1975. Due to this era, the cinema acquired a reputation for showing art-house films. In the 1980s the cinema returned to regular commercial fare, being run by City Theatres with Jimmy Stiles’ nephew, Arthur Stiles (1920-2010) as Managing Director. For various lengths of time before and after this, the cinema was operated by a succession of several small independent parties. In 1994 a dramatic renovations was made to the place’s street appearance when the exterior was changed from its original colour scheme of cream to a bright pink. This has since been reversed. In 2013, a $100,000 heritage grant from the State Government allowed the installation of a digital projector to replace the use of 35mm film reels, enabling the business to remain viable. Ownership of the Como had been in the Stiles family since it was constructed in 1938 until it was sold to the current owners, Australian Property Collective, in 2017. From 2019-2024 an extensive conservation works program included restoring the place to its original 1938 external appearance of cream paint and unpainted brick and authentic colour schemes and design internally. As part of this program, the place was renamed from Cygnet Cinema back to its original ‘Como Theatre.’ The Como Theatre reopened in April 2024 as a community entertainment venue for theatre and other cultural activities.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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