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Plaza Theatre


2004 Photo from the Ken Roe collection.
191 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC

Closed
Record #323  
 Opened: May 10, 1929
 Closed: 1970
 Current Use: Banquet Hall
 Demolished:
Capacity: 1235 seats
Architect(s): Cedric Ballantyne
Architectural Style(s): Spanish Colonial
National Register:
Current Organ: 2/12 Wurlitzer
 Also Known As: Plaza Cinerama

Information for this tour was contributed by Ken Roe.

Originally intended to serve as the ballroom for the Regent Theatre located above it, the Plaza was fitted out as a cinema and opened on 10th May 1929. After the disastrous fire that destroyed the Regent's auditorium in April 1945, it was a miracle that the Plaza received only minor damage and it re-opened in November 1945.

In 1958 it was converted in a 3 projector Cinerama Theatre which continued until 1964, when it reverted back to regular 35mm presentations. Closing a few months after the Regent Theatre in November 1970, the fixtures and fittings were removed and the entire building was shuttered. The Plaza section was eventually converted into a shopping centre which failed and it wasn't until full restoration began in 1996 that there was any hope the building would be saved.

It is now a banquet hall known as the Plaza Ballroom and is run by the Marriner Group.

 Photos
 Photos remain the property of the Member and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Member.

March 2004 photos from the Ken Roe collection.


80 KB · 469x625


 External Links

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Last featured 2002-12-27. Last edited 1/14/2016.


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