Hoyts De Luxe Theatre 238 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC – Later in 1946 to become Hoyts Esquire Theatre.

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Hoyts De Luxe Theatre 238 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC – Later in 1946 to become Hoyts Esquire Theatre.

Photo – Ross Thorne

The auditorium decoration was unusual in that the side walls were decorated with trompe l'oeuil windows framing landscape scenes. This, no doubt, contributed to the general effect of spaciousness.

Hoyts De Luxe Theatre was built on the site of the St. George’s Hall which had become Hoyts Picture Theatre in 1912. The Hoyts De Luxe Theatre opened on 27th March 1915 and only showed films, and like many other Melbourne Cinemas had a Wurlitzer organ.

The theatre was re-named Hoyts Esquire Theatre from 1946. The cinema’s policy was changed in 1957 with the movie, “Around the World in 80 Days”, and among the other classic films screened were “South Pacific”, “Can Can”, “West Side Story”, “Tom Jones”, “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” and “The Graduate”. It closed on 31st March 1976 and the interior was gutted with the façade covered over – Contributed by Greg Lynch –