A couple of days ago I read the news that many of you may have read as well. The Piccadilly Theatre the glorious art-deco style picture theatre was to close, this weekend was to be the last weekend in which you could catch a show. At first I thought it was a permanent closure, but Wallis Theatres the owners of the Piccadilly Theatre announced that from Monday the 7th June 'The Piccadilly will be temporarily closing from Monday 7th June to get a well-deserved face-lift.' (Wallis Facebook 1st June, 2021 https://www.facebook.com/CinemasAdelaide). I believe that when it does reopen it will be under a different business model, with rebranding and will possibly be used more for film events rather than the day to day use of suburban picture theatre.
Piccadilly Theatre on the corner of Childers Street and Barton Terrace, May 21st 1941
The Piccadilly was built designed by Evans, Bruer and Hall (Adelaide) in association with Guy Crick (Sydney) (Thorne 1981, p.263). It was another theatre within Dan Clifford's Chain, and the penultimate theatre to be built before the onset of WW11. Thorne describes the architecture that 'there seemed little theme about the elements that make up its design' (1981, p. 263), calling attention to the 'Chevron shaped windows, harking back to the Jazz style' (ibid) stating that The Piccadilly appears to be at the crosswords 'between continuity of Art Deco to Moderne style' (ibid).
Image courtesy of Trove The News 22nd October 1940
Anybody that has seen the Piccadilly cannot fail to be wowed, it is as beautiful today as it was on the 23rd October 1940, when it opened in a gala event. At a cost of £26,000 the cinema was built to impress, with seating for 1500 patrons, they were to stand on carpets from London and to be cooled by a special ventilation system and there was a mural of London's Piccadilly Circus by the artist F. Millward Grey (New Piccadilly Theatre opens tomorrow night, The News, 22 October 1940).
Last year, 2020 should have been the celebration of 80 years of The Piccadilly, but sadly that celebration had to be cancelled whilst the world was on hold.
Interior Piccadilly Theatre and detail carpet in Piccadilly Theatre
(Images Author's own)
I like many in Adelaide, and Australia look forward to the return of the Piccadilly from her facelift, I do hope they are sympathetic and take good care of her. Perhaps after the renovations we will once again be able to see the F Millward Grey Mural of Piccadilly Circus, which has been covered up for many years now.
References:
Thorne, Ross 1981, Cinemas of Australia via USA, Architecture Department, Sydney University, Australia.
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