Crest Theatre

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Taken on: July 13, 2022

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Crest Theatre 157 Blaxcell Street, Sydney, NSW

The Crest Theatre is a former cinema and ballroom and now a community centre at 157 Blaxcell Street, Granville,NSW. It was designed by Cowper and Murphy and Associates. It was built in 1948 by A.W Edwards Pty Ltd.

The Crest cinema was built by Hoyts' Western Suburbs Cinemas Ltd on land leased by the Roman Catholic Church.
It was the second of two Quonset cinemas built in Granville by WSC, the first being the Granville Hoyts Castle in South street.

The Crest opened on Easter Monday 27th of March 1948 with “The Swordsman” and “Dangerous Years” The Crest seated 852 and was similar in construction to the Castle.

Mr L. Nobby Clark was the Crest’s first manager and stayed until 1956. In 1963 he was recalled to close the theatre.

The theatre was reverted to its previous owner. At this time the raked floor was rebuilt and as a flat floor and the theatre was converted into a ballroom and was used for a variety of social functions, particularly as a Bingo centre.

In late 2001 Bingo ceased and the cinema was then presently vacant except for occasional functions. On the 5th of December 2006 it was purchased by the Australian Blouza Association, a not for-profit organisation of Australian descendants from the Lebanese village of Blouza. The organisation operates the building as a community and function centre. It has been referred to as the Blouza Hall. It was added to the NSW State Heritage Register on 1st of August 2003.

As the proud owners of this Iconic building, we are doing our best with the local authorities to preserve this gem. www.blouzahall.com.au

Contributed by Greg Lynch -