Plaza Theatre
167 Latrobe Terrace,
Brisbane,
QLD
4064
167 Latrobe Terrace,
Brisbane,
QLD
4064
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Architects: Richard Gailey Jnr.
Functions: Retail
Styles: Atmospheric, Spanish Colonial
Nearby Theaters
Located in the Paddington suburb northwest of Brisbane. Opened on 28th August 1930 with Nancy Welford in “Gold Diggers of Broadway. It had 1,250 seats on one large raked level. The vaulted ceiling which was painted dark blue, also featured wooden clouds which were suspended and originally back-lit and there were also lights imitating the stars. The proscenium arch was heavily decorated in a Spanish style. The Plaza Theatre was closed in 1961. Much of the original decoration still exists.
Today the auditorium has three levels and houses the Paddington Antique Centre.
Contributed by
Graeme McBain
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
If anyone has any information about this theatre, please share it. Brisbane is devoid of any Picture Palaces except for this survivor and so it is the most important theatre in the city. If it is lost, it will leave the city as the only one in Australia that has no original 1920s movie houses. Even Toowoomba has the Empire!
One of the most beautiful theatres in Australia, the Brisbane Regent, and Australia’s first Picture palace The Wintergarden (only Brisbane would destroy the first ever built for the sake of a shopping complex), are gone thanks to Brisbane apathy, don’t lose the last one.
Have found some information on this theatre.The architect was Richard Gailey Jnr.After closing in 1961 it was used for indoor basketball until 1968 then was closed until 1974,when a company used the foyer for about a year for their offices.Seating capacity in 1938 was listed at 1250 but by 1960 had been reduced to 932.
Theatre opened on 28 August 1930.
Heritaged listed on 28/3/2003. The office was called Hutchison’s. The Plaza Theatre has it’s own listing on Wikipedia. Paddington Antique Centre appeared on an episode of “Clash of the Collectables(episode 7)”. There is a date of 1929 on the floor inside a circle(in the entrance?). Does anyone know where the tram pictured outside the Plaza Theatre in the photo above ran to and from on it’s route?
Re the tram in the photo: it was headed up the hill to the Bardon shopping centre & thence along Simpsons Rd to its terminus in a side street opposite Bowman Park. I imagine this service began in the city but memory fails as to details. Fond memories of the Plaza Theatre.
Opened with a Mickey Mouse cartoon(Mickey the mouse), news, featurettes(not named?), and “Gold diggers of Broadway”. When it opened, it was advertised as Queensland’s only atmospheric theatre. That corner the tram(in the photo above), is turning on, looks a bit tight to turn on i think!?