The Astor Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Astor Theatre is a classic, single-screen cinema
located in the inner Melbourne
(Australia
) suburb of St Kilda
, that has a long and illustrious history.
The site at 1-3 Chapel Street was first used for public entertainment in 1913 when Thomas Alford established the Diamond Theatre, which shared the site with a confectioner and livery stables. Part vaudeville theatre and part cinema, in 1914 it was re-named the Rex before closing in 1917. By 1924 the site had been occupied by a motor garage.
In 1935 Alford sold the property to Frank O'Collins. After council approval was received in October, demolition of the site's original buildings commenced in December. Construction began shortly afterwards, O'Collins having commissioned architect Ron Morton Taylor (among the earlier work of which included the State
(now Forum
) Theatre on Flinders Street) and construction firm Clements Langford. Work progressed rapidly and the new Astor Theatre was officially opened on 3 April 1936.
The design of the theatre is in the Art Deco
style typical of the time. Notably it was one of the last theatres in Melbourne to use the traditional two-level auditorium layout; the stall-and-circle arrangement falling out favour for its cost during the post-war years. Originally it had a seating capacity of 1,673 people.
In the years since, the theatre has changed ownership several times, undergone redesign and survived contemporary redevelopment
proposals to remain a Melbourne
landmark venue.
The Astor Theatre is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
, under record number H1751. It is also one of the rare contemporary theatres that consistently maintains the tradition of showing Double feature
screenings for the price of single films.
In 1983 The Astor Theatre was leased by George Florence, who still runs the business. George developed the renowned programming style of The Astor and the quarterly calendar is much looked forward to by lovers of film Australia wide.
A calico cat called Marzipan lives in the lobby and can often be seen sitting on the couches, waiting for the patrons to pet her as they leave the cinema. The unofficial "mascot" of the cinema, she has become somewhat more temperamental of late due to a recent hip injury, but is still a friendly and popular member of the theatre.
Please note that St Michael's Grammar School does not run The Astor and has nothing at all to do with the cinema. The school owns the building in which The Astor is situated.
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
located in the inner Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) suburb of St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
, that has a long and illustrious history.
The site at 1-3 Chapel Street was first used for public entertainment in 1913 when Thomas Alford established the Diamond Theatre, which shared the site with a confectioner and livery stables. Part vaudeville theatre and part cinema, in 1914 it was re-named the Rex before closing in 1917. By 1924 the site had been occupied by a motor garage.
In 1935 Alford sold the property to Frank O'Collins. After council approval was received in October, demolition of the site's original buildings commenced in December. Construction began shortly afterwards, O'Collins having commissioned architect Ron Morton Taylor (among the earlier work of which included the State
State Theatre (Melbourne)
Melbourne's original State Theatre was built in 1929 to seat 3,371 patrons and is situated on Flinders Street. It was conceived as an "atmospheric auditorium", a novelty in Melbourne at the time. Another notable feature was the dual-console Wurlitzer organ, the first to be built "west of Chicago",...
(now Forum
Forum Theatre
The Forum Theatre is a theatre located on the corner of Flinders Street and Russell Street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. The building was designed by American architect John Eberson, who has designed many theatres across the globe, along with a local architectural firm...
) Theatre on Flinders Street) and construction firm Clements Langford. Work progressed rapidly and the new Astor Theatre was officially opened on 3 April 1936.
The design of the theatre is in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style typical of the time. Notably it was one of the last theatres in Melbourne to use the traditional two-level auditorium layout; the stall-and-circle arrangement falling out favour for its cost during the post-war years. Originally it had a seating capacity of 1,673 people.
In the years since, the theatre has changed ownership several times, undergone redesign and survived contemporary redevelopment
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
proposals to remain a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
landmark venue.
The Astor Theatre is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
, under record number H1751. It is also one of the rare contemporary theatres that consistently maintains the tradition of showing Double feature
Double feature
The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...
screenings for the price of single films.
In 1983 The Astor Theatre was leased by George Florence, who still runs the business. George developed the renowned programming style of The Astor and the quarterly calendar is much looked forward to by lovers of film Australia wide.
A calico cat called Marzipan lives in the lobby and can often be seen sitting on the couches, waiting for the patrons to pet her as they leave the cinema. The unofficial "mascot" of the cinema, she has become somewhat more temperamental of late due to a recent hip injury, but is still a friendly and popular member of the theatre.
Please note that St Michael's Grammar School does not run The Astor and has nothing at all to do with the cinema. The school owns the building in which The Astor is situated.