Main image: Grand Theatre, Murray Street, Perth, 1955, Image 103188PD (Source: State Library of Western Australia)
by Rose Raymen
The Grand Theatre was opened on Wednesday, 20 September 1916, by the Lord Mayor of Perth, Frank Rea, with a charity fundraising gala where all proceeds were given to the local Wounded Soldiers’ Fund. Located at 164-168 Murray Street in Perth with a secondary entrance facing Barrack Street, the Edwardian-style theatre and cinema was designed by architect Richard Joseph Dennehy and built for entrepreneur Thomas Coombe, at a cost of £20,000. The theatre’s windlass-operated sliding roof and removable shutters on the side walls – which provided welcome cross-ventilation – were unique in Western Australia.
While initially independent, the theatre became part of the Union Theatres chain until real estate company Town and Suburban Properties Ltd purchased the struggling Grand Theatre in the early 1930s. Grand Cinemas (originally The Grand Theatre Company) was founded by businessman James Stiles on 25 August 1932 to take over the running of the cinema after the previous tenants, Union Theatres, defaulted on their lease.
In September 1929, the theatre abandoned its orchestra and was wired for sound, with the screening of its first ‘talkie’. Following a major reconstruction in 1938, the Grand Theatre claimed to be the first in Australia entirely illuminated with neon lights.
The Grand Theatre closed on Thursday, 6 November 1980, after the opening of the nearby Cinema City Complex opposite the Perth Town Hall. The foyer and auditorium spaces were let for restaurants and fast-food outlets until the Grand was finally demolished in 1990.
Grand Theatre, Murray Street, Perth, 1955, Image 103188PD (Source: State Library of Western Australia)
Acknowledgements
State Library of Western Australia