7. The Capitol Theatre Melbourne 1924
The Capitol Theatre's "Ceiling of Lights" (Flickr)
While Luna Park was being updated, the Phillips were busy overseeing the construction of Capitol House; a Chicago- style office building in Swanston Street (Melbourne CBD/downtown area); a venture in which they were partners with entrepreneur Anthony Lucas and others. A number of existing buildings had to be purchased and demolished in order to redevlop the site and two new companies were formed to handle the project - the Town Hall Property Co. Pty Ltd and the Central Theatre Co. Pty. Ltd
Another innovative design by Walter and Marion Griffin ( see Part 5 above) in consultation with the Melbourne firm of Peck & Kemter, the Capitol's cinema was the first, true "picture palace" in Australia according to film-maker Joan Long in her book The Pictures that Moved (P.133, Hutchinson, 1982).
Swanston Street, looking north from
Flinders Street C.1900.Young and Jackson's Hotel
(Lower left marked in yellow) and the approximate future location of
the Capitol (Far right marked with red cross) (Facebook)
(click image to supersize)
Argus, October 21, 1920
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4576479?searchTerm=Lucas%20Phillips%20central%20theatres#
An outstanding example of art deco architecture, its "ceiling of lights" (above) is internationally renowned. Indirectly lit, it was used in conjunction with orchestral scores in the silent era to add extra dramatic impact to the presentation of movies. Thousands of colored lights that changed through all hues of the spectral range were hidden among plaster panels producing a crystalline cave and kaleidoscopic effect. The idea was Herman Phillips. But the Griffins, assisted by Peck & Kemter, brought it to life.
Ross Thorne had this to say about the Capitol........
" It is fronted onto Swanston Street with a ten storey office block that is bold and strong in its heavy simplicity. The imposing, large scale frieze of chunky decoration and squared cornice finish the building with a satisfying cap, quite different to the late nineteenth century boom style building on the right of the theatre and the 20th century eclectic gothic to the left....
(Left) Capitol House under
construction and (Right) Some years later with
the ManchesterUnity Building (1932) adjoining the Capitol (Flickr)
The interior was unlike any other erected up to that time. The style of decoration had no precedent. There was no recourse to books of architectural [ornamentation] for those brilliant decorative and textural designs....
Entering the building from Swanston Street....he noted that....
" The ticket box was a foretaste of what was to come...how strange it must have appeared to the general public in 1924. Chunky, abstract shapes fitted together to form a rich pattern with the roof stepping up in a series of planes and recesses to form a square dome above....
Emerging into the auditorium, the effect was magic. One had entered a stalactite - encrusted cave or a late, gothic cathedral"
%20EDIT.jpg) |
Front entrance of the Capitol by day Moomba Festival Parade with stiltman Alex Jurman (City of Melbourne Collection) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomba_Festival (Photo dated as 1963.. however the movie that's showing seems to be from 1961 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Gamble_(1961_film) |
Showtime at the Capitol in 1955 with Victor Mature movie Violent Saturday
.jpg)
The Swanston Street entrance decked out
in publicity for the 1937 Joel McCrea western Wells Fargo
The ticket box (around 1950 colourized?)
Robin Boyd described it as being.."...the best cinema that was ever built or is ever likely to be built"
While Luna Park was being updated, the Phillips were busy overseeing the construction of Capitol House; a Chicago- style office building in Swanston Street (Melbourne CBD/downtown area) in which they were partners with entrepreneur Anthony Lucas and others.
Another innovative design by the Griffins in consultation with the firm of Peck & Kemter, the Capitol's cinema was the first, true "picture palace" in Australia according to film-maker Joan Long in her book The Pictures that Moved (P.133, Hutchinson, 1982). An outstanding example of art deco architecture, its "ceiling of lights" is internationally renowned. Indirectly lit, it was used in conjunction with orchestral scores in the silent era to add extra dramatic impact to the presentation of movies. Thousands of colored lights that changed through all hues of the spectral range were hidden among plaster panels producing a crystalline cave and kaleidoscopic effect. The idea was Herman Phillips. But the Griffins, assisted by Peck & Kemter, brought it to life. (include clip/link about formation of Central Theatres)
Ross Thorne had this to say about the Capitol........
" It is fronted onto Swanston Street with a ten storey office block that is bold and strong in its heavy simplicity. The imposing, large scale frieze of chunky decoration and squared cornice finish the building with a satisfying cap, quite different to the late nineteenth century boom style building on the right of the theatre and the 20th century eclectic gothic to the left....
The interior was unlike any other erected up to that time. The style of decoration had no precedent. There was no recourse to books of architectural [ornamentation] for those brilliant decorative and textural designs....
Entering the building from Swanston Street....he noted that....
" The ticket box was a foretaste of what was to come...how strange it must have appeared to the general public in 1924. Chunky, abstract shapes fitted together to form a rich pattern with the roof stepping up in a series of planes and recesses to form a square dome above....
Emerging into the auditorium, the effect was magic. One had entered a stalactite - encrusted cave or a late, gothic cathedral "
Robin Boyd described it as being.."...the best cinema that was ever built or is ever likely to be built"
Opened by the Lord Mayor, Councilor Williams Brunton at a gala event on Friday, November 7, 1924, the ceremony was also attended by the Premier, Mr George Prendergast and the United States Consul General, Mr Maxwell Blake and the highlight entertainment got underway with Cecil B.DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments
Capitol Theatre and office building (left) Foyer and Lounge (Simon Brand
Auditorium (left) Original souvenir programme for the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's movie
The Gold Rush (1925)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Capitol Theatre (1950s) (Left) (Neos Kosmos) Capitol today (Wikipedia
Capitol was home to the first Wurlitzer organ that came to this country and, in 1929, the Philips arranged for Wurlitzer whiz Newman.R.Alton (AKA "Newell" Alton) who had been the organist at the Orpheum in LA to give a series of concerts. Violinist Jan Rubini was also imported from California to become the theatre's musical supervisor and, in 1938, Jack Lester arrived from the States to produce the stage shows ("Nutcracker" Capitol orchestra)
Jan Rubini (left) Newell Alton (right)
Everyone's magazine, February 27, 1929
Herman Phillips (right) welcomes musician Jan Rubini to
Melbourne, Everyone's magazine , March 27, 1929
Herman was interviewed by a journalist from Table Talk magazine who went into the new Swanston Street landmark to have a chat to the showman (insert interview)
Just as the theatre was gearing up for its conversion to sound movies in the late '20s, Leon became involved in a dispute with the equipment suppliers.....
Everyone's , February 27, 1929
(click to supersize)
Six years after the opening, John.W.Hicks, the local CEO of Paramount Pictures, signed a lease that gave the company exclusive screening rights at the Capitol. Hicks was one of several Americans who held senior positions with the Australian cinema industry. Others included Ralph Clarke who represented Warner Bros, Hercules "Herc" McIntyre, the head of Universal and Charles.E.Munro, general manager of the Hoyts theatres. When Hicks returned, permanently, to the US in 1932, he was given a black-tie send-off at Sydney's Wentworth Hotel with invitations being accepted by such luminaries as Herman Phillips, film director Ken.G.Hall and many others. Hicks came back, briefly, just before the war when he joined Paramount chief Adolph Zukor on a tour of their Pacific distributors
Herald,
Dec 13, 1930
Everyone's , March 23, 1932
The Capitol operating under the management of Paramount Pictures.
The movie being screened on this night was Blonde Venus (1932) starring Marlene Dietrich (Simon Brand)
.jpg)
Spick and span with military style precision. The Capitol's
front of house staff await a VIP visit from Adolph Zukor, owner
of Paramount Studios in Hollywood (1939)
Partial redevelopment in the '60s resulted in the Capitol being significantly reduced in size with the removal of the stalls. The foyer was also demolished. However, the upper level of the survives. Currently owned by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, it is now undergoing restoration
