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Former Auditorium Building

Other Names Mayfair Theatre ,  Shop of Shops Location 167- 173 Collins Street,, MELBOURNE VIC 3000 - Property No B4044 File Number B4044 Level State

[1/1] B4044 Fmr Auditorium Building

Statement of Significance

The former Auditorium Building, designed by Nahum Barnet and completed in 1913, is architecturally, aesthetically and historically significant at the State level.
Architecturally and aesthetically, the building is an unusually delicate and appealing example of an Edwardian city building. It is possibly the best work by Nahum Barnet and is noted for its finely detailed interpretation of the tall arched red-brick Romanesque Revival practiced in Melbourne in the period 1900-1915. The projecting cast-iron balconies are unusual and give the building a European flair, associated with the 'Paris end' of Collins Street. It is also a highly significant element of the streetscape which is particularly intact in that part of Collins Street.
Historically, the building is important for having originally incorporated a concert hall known as the Auditorium, probably the only private venue developed specifically for fine music in Melbourne. The building and the hall were developed by the theatrical entrepreneurs the Tait brothers, indicating the great popularity of concerts, recitals and operatic endeavours in the early years of the 20th century. Converted to a cinema in 1934, and then a shopping complex c1984, nothing remains of the original auditorium except the name.
Classified: 14/07/1977
Revised: 04/12/2000