Plaza Theatre

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Plaza Theatre 435 Melbourne Road, Newport, VIC -1938

On Wed Oct 19, 1938 The Herald (Melbourne) announced an extensive reconstruction and enlarging of the existing Plaza theatre Newport. It will feature an attractive facade in modern silhouette, a spacious entrance foyer, and a sound proof children’s room, this will be constructed in Melbourne Road Newport bv extensive reconstruction and enlarging of the existing Plaza building. A contract for the complete work has been entered into and construction will be supervised by Mr R. Morton Taylor, architect of Collins Street, who has designed the new theatre. The foyer will feature a low ceiling with wide flat cornices and decorative lighting. with stairs on either side of the foyer leading to the dress circle. A sound-proofed children’s room will be built off the foyer with a full view of the screen. Proscenium wings will consist of curved splays with contrasting horns and horizontal and vertical plaster features plus flush horizontal lighting units. The new look has a definite Art Deco influence. A modern shop will be added to the frontage. The complete building will be carried out by Mr P. N. Gum. of Sunshine.

Over the years the Plaza theatre had flourished, and in 1954 an arrangement were made to install a new wide screen to cater for CinemaScope and VistaVision movies. White Christmas in VistaVision played to excellent box office in April 1955. By 1959 because of the advent of television box office returns had diminished to almost nothing. When the theatre closed in the middle 60’s It was playing foreign films. By 1970 it was a burnt out shell and it was demolished. A new building has been since constructed on this site for office purposes. There is no evidence that a theatre ever existed at this location - Contributed by Greg Lynch -