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Former Westgarth Theatre

Other Name Former Name Valhalla, Now Palace Theatre Location 89 High Street,, NORTHCOTE VIC 3070 - Property No B6619 File Number B6619 Level Local

Statement of Significance

The former Westgarth Theatre, erected in 1921 for the Westgarth Theatre Pty. Ltd., is of local significance as an early and essentially intact example of a cinema building constructed in a decade of unprecedented growth in the motion picture industry. The oldest operating purpose-built cinema in Melbourne, the former Westgarth Theatre is historically significant for its association with a major form of popular entertainment in the twentieth century. As a Greek-language cinema (1966-?) and later, as an "art house" cinema (1987-), the theatre has contributed to the major developments in post-war film exhibition practice in Australia. Architecturally, the former Westgarth Theatre is a significant, but not influential, example of the cinema buildings of the 1920s. The use of classical motifs had been established in the previous decade at the Hoyts De-Luxe, Bourke Street, Melbourne (demolished) and on a smaller scale at the Northcote Theatre and the Barkly and Grand Theatres in Footscray. The Westgarth is notable however for its interior decoration, in particular the geometric detail of the entrance vestibule and stairs to the mezzanine section.
Classified: 01/08/1994