Regent Theatre

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Regent Theatre 191 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 - 1945 Destroyed by fire

Cutting - Argus Melbourne Monday 30 April 1945 - Page 3

Disastrous fire

The cinema was subject to a disastrous fire on 29 April 1945 which destroyed the auditorium, organ, fly tower and roof, but leaving the foyers and The Plaza largely intact. With a dispensation from post-war building restrictions, the Regent was rebuilt much as it was, under the direction of architects Cowper Murphy & Appleford, making it one of the last picture palaces to be built in this style. Reopening on 19 December 1947, a few changes were made, such as the proscenium being made square instead of arched, and the central bronze chandelier became an imported Czechoslovakian crystal design - Contributed by Greg Lynch -