The Regent Theatre in Brisbane is a multi-cinema picture palace, in what was once one of the original Hoyts' Picture Palaces from the 1920s. It is located at 167 Queen Street on the popular Queen Street Mall.
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It was constructed as the first and only American-style picture palace, reflecting the opulence and grandeur of the great Hollywood era, to be built in Queensland, and was one of many operated by Hoyts in Australia.
Other significant Regent Cinemas around Australia were the Regent in George Street, Sydney, now demolished, the Regent on the Rundle Mall in Adelaide which is now converted into a shopping mall and the Regent Melbourne on Collins Street, restored in the 1990s and now a major successful live theatre for Melbourne.[1] The Regent Theatre, Dunedin in New Zealand was adapted for live performances in the 1970s and continues to be used for those and as a cinema. Smaller Regent cinemas include the Regent in downtown Ballarat, Victoria, now remodelled into a multi-screen complex.
The picture palaces were built to imitate Hollywood's Golden Era and were designed to function as a cinema and theatre. The Regent was designed by Melbourne architect, Charles N. Hollinshed, with assistance from the Brisbane-based Richard Gailey Junior and Aaron Bolot. It was erected in 1929 and opened on 8 November.[2] Construction costs totaled ₤300,000.[2]
The Regent's entrance foyer is on the narrow Queen Street site, and the auditorium was constructed on the broader site in Elizabeth Street. The original interior decoration was a mixture of spanish Gothic and Romanesque. The mezzanine foyer contains a white marble staircase, made from Queensland marble, along with vaulted cathedral ceilings. A total of 2,600 patrons were able to be seated in air-conditioned comfort.[2]
In 1978 the Regent was marked for demolition by Hoyts and The University of Queensland Mayne Trust, but after lobbying from the Save the Regent campaign, a partial compromise was met. The original building was saved in its entirety and only the interior decorations, mostly being plaster, were removed. A large portion of these interior decorations were later incorporated into the Regent cinemas. The marble staircase and vaulted ceilings of the entrance hall, grand foyer and mezzanine foyer were saved, complete with ceiling murals and many other plaster castings.
The four Regent cinemas were built inside the original 1929 building, as a stand alone structure. Cinema One, later known as the showcase cinema was created using the original decorations, saved from the original theatre auditorium.
The basement car park was rebuilt, housing what was for many years until 2003, the largest McDonalds restaurant in Australia.
The Regent held the honour of housing the largest screens for a cinema in Brisbane for many years, and retained its position as the most popular cinema well into the 2000s.
In 2001, Hoyts and Greater union merged, forcing Hoyts to surrender its activity on the site due to an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ruling. The cinemas were then operated by Greater Union for a period. In 2003, the building was leased by Birch, Carroll & Coyle who refurbished cinemas three and four, giving them two separate colour schemes of blue for cinema three and red for cinema four.
When Birch Carrol Coyle rebuilt the Myer Centre cinema, they lost all interest in maintaining the Regent and allowed the cinemas to run into disrepair. They quickly fell out of favour, leaving the property owners to question the future viability of the site.
In 2007, the University of Queensland Mayne Trust sold the property to the Industry Superannuation Property Trust who then commissioned multinational property developer Brookfield Multiplex to redevelop it.
The heritage listed Regent Theatre historic facade, entry and mezzanine foyer are to be retained in a redevelopment of the site. The majority of the building will be demolished to make way for a forty story office tower and carpark. The state government has been criticised for the lack of consultation and intervention regarding the decision, similar to the circumstances of the demolition of the original theatre. [3]
A new "Save The Regent" group was formed, reminiscent of the original group formed in the 1970s. The group staged a public battle to save the Regent on the grounds that it continued to perform its original function, screening motion pictures, and that much of the original fabric remained at the site. The Queensland convenor of the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society doesn't believe there is any historical significance remaining after the grand auditorium was removed in 1979.[4]
The battle was lost and the Regent is currently scheduled to be demolished.[5] The new complex will not have any cinemas but will contain three multifunction auditoria which can possibly be used as cinemas. These are only permitted to operate on weekends [6] and include a new Queensland Film and Television Centre.[7]
As well as the several cinemas within, the theatre foyer hosts an Aromas Coffee shop.