Regent Theatre, Wollongong

The Regent Theatre, Wollongong

“Australia’s most beautiful theatre” (Lady Marion Hall Best, 1958)

On Friday, 26 April 2002, the Illawarra community was informed that Lend Lease, a multinational land speculation and development company, was considering the demolition of part, or all, of the 1,500 seat Regent Theatre,Wollongong, to make way for a supermarket and commercial complex. Knowledge of this proposal immediately engendered feelings of concern that developers and relevant authorities would consider the demolition of such a beautiful and culturally significant building. As a result, the Friends of the Regent Theatre (FORT) was formed to research the history of the theatre, to lobby for upgrading of its various protective heritage listings, to bring to public attention the threat of demolition and, if possible, to develop ideas towards securing the long term economic viability of the building.

The Regent Theatre is an item of significance to the Illawarra region and to the state of New south Wales, Australia. In 1988 the Royal Australian Institute of Architects placed it on their heritage list, recognising it as an item of regional significance, and in 1999 the Regent was given a Category 1 listing on the New South Wales State Heritage Listing of cinemas. 1n May-June 2002 Wollongong City Council moved to upgrade its various listings and level of support for the preservation of the Regent.

The theatre is cherished by many in the local community and by those who are aware of, and appreciate, the history and heritage value of theatres and cinema-going in this country. Bob Parkinson‘s 1995 book Gauffered Velour presented a detailed history of picture palaces and exhibition halls which have operated in the Illawarra since 1897, including the Regent and other Wollongong theatres such as the Savoy and Crown.

The theatres featured in Gauffered Velour were an integral part of the entertainment experience of those in the lllawarra during the twentieth century, with cinema going an almost everyday experience for many during the glory years of the 1920s and 1930s when cinema-going in Australia peaked per capita. The Regent is now held dear for the individual memories of the cinema experience it has offered for almost half a century, since it first opened in 1957. Following the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, for a period during the 1960s and early 1970s the Regent was the only cinema surviving in the city of Wollongong. As such, it is well known. and continues to be patronised, despite a local proliferation of multiplexes since the 1980s. For example, its large size enabled it to accommodate a capacity crowd of over 1,500 enthusiastic fans for the midnight release of Star Wars Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones in 2002.

The Regent today (July 2002) provides an element of Hollywood glamour to the city centre. It is a unique heritage building and one of only twenty such theatres remaining in New South Wales. In 1957 there were 660 such theatres surviving in the state. Unfortunately, since that time, the introduction of television and video and the needs of developers have seen many exquisite picture palaces fall in the path of the bulldozer.

The Regent is subject to only limited heritage protection. With knowledge of its significance in mind, and the possible threat of demolition, on 2 May 2002 the National Trust prepared a statement of significance for the building, and gave it an urgent interim listing on its Register. That statement identified the Regent as an item of state significance, rare, and one of the few intact grand cinemas left in the country. The Trust noted that the design characteristics of its auditorium, vestibule. foyer and facade are unique in New South Wales. The Regent Theatre is also technologically significant due to its surviving original 70mm Cinemascope projection equipment and screen.

The interior decorative elements, designed by noted interior decorator Lady Marion Best Hall and featuring works by noted artists such as Douglas Annand and Janet Single, are key elements in the building’s significance.

As Bob Parkinson‘s book points out in detail, the Regent was ﬁrst conceived in 1934 by Herbert Jones, father of present (2002) owner Rowena Milgrove, when he purchased the site in Keira Street. The building‘s distinctive Art Deco design and ornamentation was initially developed by architect Reginald John Magofﬁn in 1935. Magofﬁn also designed the Wollongong City Gallery (former Council Chambers). Due to funding delays. and the intervention of World War II, work on the building did not commence until 1950. It ﬁnally opened on Boxing Day 1957, some 23 years late. Marion Hall Best was heavily involved in the ﬁnal ﬁtting out of the building, including responsibility for design features such as light ﬁttings, ﬁxtures, the mezzanine. and the overall interior paint scheme.

Since opening, the Regent has played an important role in the social and cultural life of the city. Where once there were many such theatres serving Wollongong between the 1920s and 1960s, it is now the last left standing. It has been the stage for art exhibitions, union rallies, theatrical performances, and widescreen cinema. The Regent continues to operate as a picture palace. It is a living, working museum to be cherished, supported, conserved and preserved. Its reputation spreads far beyond municipal boundaries.

Marion Hall Best, Janet Single, Douglas Annand, Regent Theatre Foyer, Wollongong, 1957.

Perhaps it is the muted elegance of the Art Deco facade with its mixture of angular lines and sensuous curves; the grand, spacious foyer with sparkling stars in the ceiling; the huge posters on the wall by the site of the former fountain which greeted you upon approaching the black curtains, behind which lay the theatre itself; the mezzanine lounge which reeks of 1930s decadence and is full of the ghosts of patrons past; or the main auditorium with a mini universe above, exotic motifs on the side, and before you the screen where dreams come true - at least for 90 minutes or more at a time.

Many people in the local community hold fond memories of the Regent. I remember as a boy sitting in the upstairs balcony with ﬁiends, jaffas in hand, watching Frankenstein on the big screen and strangely feeling no fear. In fact, I was more interested in looking down at the crowd in the stalls below, observing young lovers. arm in arm, other groups of kids mucking about and making noise, families dressed to the nines, or the elderly, shufﬂing and quiet. I remember standing for the national anthem before a huge picture of the Queen, prior to commencement of the double feature, looking on at the ex-soldiers in the crowd who were distinguished by their solid, erect posture, saluting and on occasion emotional at what I felt was a seemingly everyday event.

Robert Parkinson observed in 1995 that “the Regent Theatre stands proudly today, displaying to a new generation an ambience that was sensational then, and still is.” The National Trust has recognised its significance on a state and national level. FORT is working towards ensuring that the local community, and Wollongong City Council are aware of its significance and will support its preservation.

Sydney has preserved the State and Capitol theatres. Newcastle has the Civic. It is imperative that Wollongong preserve the Regent, due to its cultural significance to the region, and its unique heritage values.

Michael Organ, Archivist, University of Wollongong.

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References

‘Marion Hall Best, ‘Interior decorating is exciting,’ Daily Mirror, Sydney, 1 May 1958, p34.

‘Regent Theatre gets facelift - latest in decor art’, Illawarra Mercury, 12 October 1967. Includes a photograph of Lady Marion Hall Best supervising repainting of the Regent.

Michaela Richards, The Best Style - Marion Hall Best and Australian Interior Design 1935-1975, Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. This book includes 3 colour photographs of the Regent foyer taken in 1957, along with notes on the Regent by Lady Best, taken from her unpublished autobiography.

Robert Parkinson, Gauffered Velour - A history of motion picture exhibition and picture theatres in the lllawarra district of New South Wales 1897-1994, Australian Theatre Historical Society, Campbelltown, 1995, 168p.

Catriona Quinn, Sydney Style - Marion Hall Best, Interior Decorator, [exhibition catalogue], Hyde Park Barracks, Historic Houses Trust of NSW, 1993, 30p.

Regent Theatre, Wollongong, Facebook, 2016.

Regent Theatre, Wollongong, Wikipedia, accessed 4 December 2024.

Regent Theatre in Wollongong, Cinema Treasures, 2004.

Ritson, Julia, Marion Hall Best - From Decorator to Designer [blog], Julia Ritson - Visual Designer,

Save the Regent Theatre, Wollongong - Chronology, [web site], May 2002. Address: https://web.archive.org/web/20211022092859/https://documents.uow.edu.au/~morgan/regent2.html.