The Forgotten History of the Forum Theatre

You can find them in every city.

Tucked away on a back alley or down a one way side street, or sometimes out in the open, hiding in plain sight; the city's unique architectural wonders. 

In Melbourne, one of the most prominent of these is the 'The Forum Theatre' on Flinders Street. And it seems fitting that this building, with its mock Moorish turrets, elaborate facade, opulent lobby and exotic, faux Greco-Roman theatre, has a history every bit as interesting as its design. 

Built across 1928-29, the State Theatre (as it was originally called) was designed by American architect John Eberson and built for Greater Union Cinemas. Eberson, a Ukrainian who had studied design in Vienna before moving to America, was a leading architect of the period, renowned for his theatre designs. He designed more than a hundred theatres and cinemas in his career, including the magnificent State Theatre in Sydney:

Atrium - State Theatre Sydney

State Theatre Melbourne, construction site, 1928

The State Theatre in Melbourne was designed as a one screen cinema, with stall seating on the ground floor and a dress circle above. The interior featured statuary and columns reminiscent of classical architecture, as well as a ceiling designed to mimic the night sky (features that have been retained to this day).

The capacity of the new venue, 3371, made it the largest theatre in Australia at the time.

The State Theatre exterior, shortly after completion, in 1929

The lobby, in 1929, which still looks much the same today.

The view from the stage in 1929, before the theatre was split.

As well as the expensively appointed interior and exterior, the theatre also boasted another feature when it opened; the largest organ in the world, outside of the United States.

Purchased by special order for the staggering sum of 25 000 pounds, the Wurlitzer 270 traveled to Australia from the US by boat, arriving early in 1929. It was so large that 27 lorries were required to transport it from the dock to the theatre, the resulting convoy causing such a disruption to traffic on Flinders Street that the theatre's owners were fined by the local council (and thus bought themselves invaluable publicity).

The organ required two musicians to operate it; one seated to the left of stage on a 'master' console, another to the right on a secondary, or 'slave,' console.

Forum Theatre stage in 1929, with both organ consoles visible.

For the theatre's much hyped opening season, Greater Union brought out acclaimed American organist Frank Lanterman, previously of the Metropolitan Theatre in Los Angeles. A local musician, Arnold Coleman, was engaged to fill the 'slave' chair (although a different musician, Rene Lees, would perform on opening night).

Lanterman would return to America after a year playing at The State (and would later be elected to California's state legislature) leaving Coleman to take over as head organist, a position he would fill until 1940. Coleman would gain some measure of fame in Australia through a regular series of Sunday afternoon concerts he would perform, broadcast nationwide on  the ABC live from The State.

Finally, everything was in place for the theatre's opening night.

Advertisement from 'The Sun' promoting opening night.

Giving an indication of how the theatre would be utilised during its initial span of operation, the opening night at The State offered a mixed program; a silent feature, some shorts, some newsreels and live music (with a thirty piece orchestra alongside the organ). Local publication 'Everyman's' reviews the night:

This successful opening set the tone for the theatre for its first decades. Little would change in the way the theatre was utilised until after the Second World War. 

In the 1950's public taste began to change and, with that, changes would also be seen at The State. The live music program was discontinued and the organ fell into disuse. Similarly, the rise of television meant the end of newsreels and a refocusing of cinema programming to shorts and features.

The State in 1962, shortly before it was split into two cinemas.

Following an American trend towards multi-screen cinema's showing a greater variety of movies, Greater Union would split The State into two separate cinemas in 1963. The dress circle was enclosed, given it's own screen and dubbed 'The Rapallo,' while the larger downstairs theatre was renamed 'The Forum' after it's still elaborate decoration. This was the first instance in Australia of a single screen cinema being split into two smaller venues.

The massive Wurlitzer was removed, with some difficulty, and sold to a private collector, Gordon Hamilton. (the organ pit was converted into a milk bar). Hamilton stored the instrument for several years and then, unable to afford a restoration himself, re-sold it to Morabbin City Council in 1967. It was installed at Moorabbin Town Hall and a painstaking restoration was undertaken by the council (an estimated 8 000 work hours were needed to return the instrument to full playing order). The organ was unveiled in 1970 for a series of sold out public concerts and is still used by the council to this day.

The organ finds a new home.

In 1981, Greater Union would again rename the old State Theatre.

The Forum, early 80's.

Now the entire venue would be known as 'The Forum,' with the individual cinemas re-named 'Forum 1' (upstairs) and 'Forum 2' (downstairs). But the upkeep on such an old building, and the cinema industry's continued drive towards larger complexes with multiple screens, meant The Forum had become unprofitable. The cinema closed in 1985 and the building was sold, ending a near 60 year unbroken run as one of Melbourne's most striking public venues. 

From 1985, The Forum would adopt an entirely new and very different function, as the headquarters of 'Revival Centres International' (RCI).

RCI was a Pentecostal church, founded in 1958 in Melbourne, that had been having difficulty finding a building suitable for administrative and church business. In 1966, the church had purchased a large property in Harcourt Street, Auburn, known as 'Carn Brae,' to this end.

Carn Brae.

But a church proposal to add a substantial meeting hall to the property had met with local opposition, leading to a public protest. Building approval for the hall was eventually denied, leaving the church still wanting a larger property to expand into. The Forum Theatre, rundown and relatively cheap but still prestigious, seemed perfect for this purpose.

RCI would use the theatre as a meeting place for a decade.

But in 1995, a doctrinal split would fracture the church, and split the congregation into two main groups. This, plus the continued high cost of running the building, lead to the church selling the property that year.

This time it was purchased by entrepreneur David Marriner, whose Marriner Group paid for significant restorations to the theatre in the second half of the 1990s. Since this time, The Forum has been used for a variety of purposes, most notably live music, comedy and as one of the venues for the Melbourne International Film Festival, and so has moved some way back towards it's hey day.

Throughout it's ups and downs, and various owners, The Forum has remained one of Melbourne's most impressive buildings, and an innate part of the inner city landscape.

Obscure Highlights from the Victorian Heritage List

It's easy to complain about Melbourne.

I do it all the time. The weather is terrible, the beaches are non-existent and the rise of the hipster doofus continues, unchecked.

But there are wonderful things about this city as well; the arts, the MCG, the cheap Thai place in the Port Phillip Arcade. I mean, how many cities have an art deco football grandstand? I'm guessing... none. Apart from ours.

What follows is a collection of pictures highlighting some of the wonderful buildings on the Victorian Heritage list, with a focus on the less focused upon (the well known entries on this list I'll save for another time).

These buildings certainly give the city character, and character is one of its strongest points.

GLENFERRIE OVAL GRANDSTAND 

Address: 34 Linda Crescent, Hawthorn

Designed by Stuart Calder and built in 1938 the grandstand, now called the 'Michael Tuck Stand,' is an iconic part of Hawthorn's original home ground at Glenferrie Oval. The unusual design was chosen deliberately by the club to help differentiate themselves from other Victorian Football
clubs, who had all chosen Victorian style buildings for their grandstands.

A school sports day at the oval in 1958.

In 1965, the early season Hawthorn v Carlton clash drew 36 000 people to the ground, which remains the attendance record. But the Oval's position between suburban streets and a railway line meant its ability to cope with large crowds was limited and also prevented the club from expanding the ground  The last VFL game was played at Glenferrie in 1973 - Hawthorn over the Saints by 20 - although the club kept their administrative offices there until 2006. Today the oval is open to the public.

THE OLDERFLEET BUILDING

Address: 477 Collins St, Melbourne

The Olderfleet building - with its clock tower, striking red colour and stunning Gothic facade - is an unlikely office building, but this is the function it has always served. Designed by Melbourne's premier 19th century architect William Pitt (who designed the town hall and the royal exhibition buildings, among many others) it was built in 1889, when it was very much of a type with the rest of Collins street;




The original tenants included various merchants, and there was a large warehouse behind the offices on Collins Street for their goods. The warehouse section was demolished in 1984. The Olderfleet stands out a little more now, particularly in comparison to the Rialto Tower, immediately behind;

THE BRYANT AND MAY FACTORY

Address: 560 Church Street, Cremorne.

The 'Bryant and May' factory is hard to capture in one photo, as it is simply enormous. Built for an English firm in 1909 (also from a design by William Pitt, one of his last), in what was once the industrial heartland of the city, the factory was originally used for manufacturing matches.

The factory in 1912.

At its peak, 280 staff were employed there and were treated in some style; the complex featured a bowling green, garden and tennis courts, all for employee use. B & M was also one of the first companies in Australia to employ an onsite nurse.

An aerial shot from 1924. The factory
dominates the surrounding suburb.

Match use declined throughout the 20th century and the company abandoned manufacturing at the site in the 1980's, when the factory was redeveloped into business offices, reflecting the overall demographic changes in the area.

MELBOURNE HIGH SCHOOL

Address: 1 Forrest Hill, South Yarra.

Situated on a lush green hill overlooking the Yarra, Melbourne High sits on a a prime location. Built in 1927, the school stands as a marker of a crucial juncture in education in Victoria. At the turn of the 20th century, the state Government only supplied primary level education; after finishing year 7, the only option for secondary education was through a private school, unaffordable for most families. Children who couldn't afford this were sent out to work.

The state government started to rectify this situation in 1905 when they funded a co-ed state secondary school, 'The Melbourne Continuation School,' initially located on Spring Street in the CBD. Such was the popularity of this school that by the twenties the faculty had outgrown their city building.

The new continuation school in 1928.

The Government then decided to build a new campus in South Yarra and split the school along gender lines, moving the boys to the new facility and leaving the girls in the city. Melbourne High remains the only state run selective school for boys in Victoria.

SAFE DEPOSIT BUILDING

Address: 88 - 110 Queen Street, Melbourne.

Built in 1890 from a design by William Pitt (surprised?) for the Melbourne Stock Exchange - the chairman of which owned the land and so netted himself a tidy profit - this gothic styled building was originally the home of the Melbourne Safe Deposits company.

Drawing of the building in 1890.

The basement vaults were the first of their kind in Australia and the building itself was advertised as the country's strongest and most secure. The building is now used for corporate offices.

RICHMOND POWER STATION

Address: Oddy's Lane, Cremorne.

Built in 1891 for the 'Australian Lighting and Traction Company,' this was one of Australia's first power stations to supply alternating current (or 'AC') power. Generating electricity for the surrounding suburbs of Prahran, Richmond and South Yarra, the site was taken over by the government owned State Electricity Commission in 1930.

The power station in 1925.

It was used for power generation until 1976, when pollution concerns forced its closure. The power station, and the surrounding massive plot of land, then sat fenced off and unused for nearly twenty years. When the Kennett Government privatised Victoria's electricity supply in the early 1990's, SEC assets, including this site, were sold for redevelopment. Today, the old Richmond power station is the smart headquarters for fashion label 'Country Road,' situated at the heart of a plush new business park.

KEW LUNATIC ASYLUM

Address: Princes Street, Kew.

Built in 1871 and operating for more than 100 years, the Kew Asylum was one of the largest hospitals ever built in Australia. Its construction was largely forced upon the Government of the time, as Melbourne's two main mental hospitals - in Carlton and Abbotsford - were both poor facilities and terribly overcrowded.

The asylum in 1885.

A different angle, from 1894.

The asylum had a chequered history, with a number of investigations (and even a royal commission) examining complaints of mismanagement, poor sanitation and patient abuse. The hospital closed in 1988 and was sold to private developers who turned the main building into apartments. Probably not somewhere I could live myself...

MELBOURNE CITY BATHS

Address: 420 - 438 Swanston Street

The first public baths in the city were opened on this location by the Government in the 1850's, to try and prevent people from bathing in the Yarra. These baths were taken over by a private operator, who allowed the original buildings to fall into disrepair. They were closed by Government order in 1899 and replaced by this, considerably more elaborate, construction in 1903.

The baths pictured in 1914.

The new baths came with a new set of rules. Men and women were strictly separated and there were two categories of facilities; second class in the basement and first class on the ground floor. These restrictions were abandoned in 1947, which dramatically increased the popularity of the facility.

EASTERN HILL FIRE STATION

Address: Corner Victoria Parade and Gisborne Street

Built in 1891 and put into service two years later, this used to be the main fire station for the city centre (replacing the first city fire station, originally situated on Bourke Street). Fireman lived on the premises and the watchtower was manned 24 hours a day.

A photo of the station in 1891.

The station was decommissioned in the 1980's and now houses administration offices for the fire service and a museum.

Lost Treasures: Coles Book Arcade

It was the biggest bookstore in the world.

Or purported to be. It was claimed two million new and used book filled the arcade shelves, in a multi story reading room and shop, alongside an art gallery, a menagerie, a fernery, curios, knick knacks, music boxes and wind up toys of all descriptions.

It is one of the Lost Treasures of Melbourne.

Cole's Book Arcade, Bourke Street frontage. Unfortunately
not many pictures remain of the shopfront.

Edward Cole was born in Kent, England, in 1832. His father died when he was young and Cole left home when he was 18, heading to London to seek his fortune. Finding opportunity in London limited, he drifted to South Africa, where he worked as a farmer near Cape Town. The discovery of gold lured lured him to Melbourne, where he arrived in 1852.

Cole worked on mines near Bathurst, but after a short stint decided that he was not suited to prospecting. Over the next few years, Cole would turn his hand to a number of things to make ends meet; selling refreshments to miners, land speculation in Castlemaine, even selling seeds he'd collected up country to the Royal Botanical Gardens. The early 1860's found this restless man back in Melbourne, running a pie stand on Russell Street.

E.W. Cole in his booklined office.

Although of limited education, Cole had always had a fascination with knowledge and learning, and was an avid reader. In 1865 he turned to yet another new venture, this time opening a second hand bookstore in Melbourne's Eastern Markets. Whether it was his enthusiasm for  books, or just luck and good timing, Cole finally prospered in this profession. Within a few years, Cole was able to take over the whole Eastern Market, subletting the stalls out to other proprietors and making himself wealthy in the process.

On the back of this success, Cole looked to expand and in 1873 he leased a shop on Bourke Street. The new shop was initially advertised as not only a bookstore but also, 'The prettiest sight in Melbourne.' The interior of the new premises was decorated with mirrors and brass fixtures and the staff were dressed in bright scarlet jackets. A pianist was hired to play music each afternoon. The new Bourke Street store was a great success and was so popular that the shop it was based in was soon  not big enough to handle the customer traffic.

In 1883 Cole took over a much larger building in central Bourke Street, a former Spanish restaurant, for his book business to expand into. This building had two levels and Cole had the interior gutted, so that the upper level would look down into the ground floor below, creating an enormous open space.

The open plan design of the book arcade in 1883.

He transferred his ideas from his original Bourke Street shop - elaborate presentation, bright colours, live music - only on a much grander scale. The new store opened to such acclaim that police were required to handle the crowds.

This shop, now called 'Cole's Book Arcade,' was an immediate success and grew immensely in popularity in a short time. Always looking to expand, by 1896 Cole had taken over the building behind his shop and extended his book arcade through to Little Collins Street. By 1900 he had taken over the shops to the rear of that, so that his premises extended all the way from Bourke to Collins Street. He added a stone bridge over Little Collins Street, so that his customers would not have to bother with crossing the road if they were walking through, and the stretch from Little Collins to Collins was given a glass roof and filled with toys, an art gallery and a professional printing shop.

The Collins Street entrance to the arcade with a sign for
'Toyland' to the right and the glass roofed arcade to the left.

Though the arcade was now in it's final form, Cole continued to add to it's interior. A clockwork gadget was added to the entrance, where two mechanical boys wound a handle that then displayed different upbeat slogans ('READ!' 'EAT WELL') A garden of exotic plants was added, and caged monkeys added to that. An arcade of funny mirrors was added for children. A different band was hired to play each afternoon. Armchairs and sofas were added to the ground floor of the book arcade and signs told customers that they could sit and read as long as they liked, without having to purchase anything.

And stuffed into every corner, into every available space, were wind up toys and music boxes and comical pictures and anything else that Cole felt was amusing or interesting. The arcade was not only profitable, but engendered enormous goodwill from the city and was one of it's most popular attractions.

A mechanical hen from Coles book Arcade. Made in Germany, it cackled and laid an
egg when a coin was inserted into it's back. It now resides at the Melbourne Museum.

Clockwork gadget at store front. Still visible and
working on display at the Melbourne museum.

Picture gallery and curiosity shop.

In 1911, Cole's wife Eliza passed away and Cole, now in his seventies, moved into semi retirement in Essendon. He spent his last few years overseeing his beloved arcade from a distance, and writing a variety of pamphlets, on topics both serious and trivial.

Cole in retirment.

He passed away in 1918.

The ownership of the arcade then moved to a trust of his business associates. The business had been enormously profitable during Cole's lifetime, but there was disagreement among the trust members about how the business was now to be run. After 40 years of success, and only six years after Cole's death, by 1924 the arcade was running at a loss. Operations at the arcade were scaled down, and ancillary parts of the business were sold off.

But the slide continued. After several years of losing money, the management trust decided to cut their losses. In 1929 the arcade was closed, an enormous crowd turning out for the last day. Australian test cricketer Chuck Fleetwood-Smith was the last customer.

Small notice in 'The Argus' about
the last customer.

Book arcade staff at close of business on the last day.
Note the empty shelves around them.

The Bourke Street property was auctioned and bought by G.J Coles and Co. (no relation) for  ₤200 000, and was subsequently demolished and rebuilt as a department store. The same site on Bourke Street today is occupied by David Jones. The glass topped arcade through to Collins Street was also sold but preserved. Today it is home to upmarket shops and cafes.

Toyland no longer; Howey Place, off Collins Street,
is now home to upmarket fashion.

The Origin of Names: Richmond

3km east of the Melbourne CBD, Richmond is one of the city's oldest suburbs.

The area was assessed by Government surveyor Richard Hoddle in 1839 and considered suitable for development, allotments being offered for sale shortly after. Most of the area available was bought by land speculators who further subdivided and re-sold, mainly for commercial purposes. Richmond was one of the first industrial districts of the fledgling city; home to tanneries, brickwork and a market precinct along Bridge Road:

Bridge Road in 1889

Richmond takes it's name from the fact that it reminded some early settlers of a similar part of London known as Richmond Hill, where an elevated section of ground offered views of the Thames. A similar rise in the new suburb had a view of the Yarra. Originally, the suburb was known as Richmond Hill, with some of the first private dwellings in the area being built on the hilltop. Over the years, Richmond Hill naturally shortened to Richmond, although the hilly part of the area is still referred to, in some cases, as Richmond Hill.

But if this Richmond was just named after a part of London, from where did the London district take it's name? Can we trace the origins of 'Richmond' itself?

Richmond Hill in London is so named as the gentle slope overlooking the Thames was home to Richmond Palace. Richmond Palace was built in 1501 for King Henry VII, replacing a more modest royal house on the site that had been destroyed in a fire in 1497. A sketch of the palace when built:

For 150 years Richmond Palace would serve as one of the British Monarch's official London residences and was home to Henry VIII, Queen Mary I and Elizabeth I, among others. The palace had extensive hunting grounds, Richmond Park, that were kept well stocked with deer for the royal hunt. After the execution of Charles I in 1649, at the hands of Oliver Cromwell, Richmond Palace was demolished and the raw materials sold off for re-use in other construction, with only the guardhouse surviving through to the present day:

Henry VII named his magnificent riverside palace Richmond after himself, as his pre-coronation title was the Earl of Richmond.

Henry's title related to family lands in the north of England, specifically the Yorkshire town of Richmond in the surrounding district of Richmondshire. This Richmond dates to 1071, when the township was founded by Alan Rufus, one of the knights who had fought with William the Conqueror:

After the Norman William had successfully defeated the English armies in 1066, and assumed the British throne, he awarded many of his senior commanders generous plots of land. Rufus, who had fought at Hastings but had most distinguished himself in subsequent fighting in the North, was awarded vast tracts stretching across Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. He built a castle, also known as Richmond Castle, to help subdue the remaining pockets of local resistance, and this fortress became the centre of the new town of Richmond. Rufus' enormous holdings were certainly lucrative; when he died in 1093 he had amassed a personal fortune of  £11 000, equivalent to  £81 billion in adjusted money, and so making Rufus the richest man  in British history.

But still, why did Rufus call his new seat of British power Richmond?

Rufus was born and raised in Richemont, in Northern Normandy (near present day Amiens). The original name he bestowed on his British castle was Richemont, in tribute to his homeland, which  became Richemund and then Richmond in the local dialect. The French 'Richemont' derives from two words from Old French; Riche meaning rich or splendid, and Mont meaning hill. So Richemont was so named as it was a particularly lush country, very rich for farming.... and somewhat hilly.