In August 1928 the Collins Street Baptist Church (built 1852) was demolished to make way for a nine-storey building, at 203

Little Collins Street Little Collins Street is a minor street in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The street runs parallel to and to the north of Collins Street and as a narrow one way lane takes on the name of the wider main ...

, midway between Swanston and Russell streets. The land was owned by the Baptist church, and leased to Victoria Palace Ltd., who constructed the building. They left the ground and mezzanine floors to the church, and contributed £5,000 of the estimated £11,000 required to fit it out as a public hall and recreational facilities. Designed to seat 350 persons, it was envisaged that the hall would be used by the church for concerts, meetings, and lectures, and for screening films. The remainder of the building was to be used by Victoria Palace Ltd. as hotel-style accommodation. The Central Hall, occupying much of its ground floor, was officially opened on 4 October 1928. Small businesses occupied part of the Little Collins Street frontage, and entrance to the Hall was next to the Victoria Coffee Palace, c. 211–219 Little Collins Street (also on Church grounds). The space operated as a cinema between 1942 and 1968, much of that time under the name the Grosvenor Theatre. When the cinema closed, it was converted into a car park for the Victoria Hotel.

Examples of use

The range of uses for the hall was wide: *

Francis Birtles Francis Edwin Birtles (7 November 1881 in Fitzroy, Victoria – 1 July 1941 in Croydon, New South Wales) was an Australian adventurer, photographer, cyclist, and filmmaker, who set many long-distance cycling and driving records, including beco ...

' docudrama of Aboriginal life ''Coorab in the Island of Ghosts'', introduced by

Eldred Pottinger Eldred Pottinger (12 August 181115 November 1843) was an Anglo-Indian army officer and diplomat. In 1837 he happened to be in Herat in Afghanistan to gather intelligence on the area when the Persian army, supported by Russians, laid siege to the ...

*Films ''

King of Kings King of Kings; grc-gre, Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων, Basileùs Basiléōn; hy, արքայից արքա, ark'ayits ark'a; sa, महाराजाधिराज, Mahārājadhirāja; ka, მეფეთ მეფე, ''Mepet mepe'' ...

'' paired with Albert Brandon-Cremer's ''Nursery Rhymes'' *Demonstrations of Physical Culture by Aaron Beattie's pupils *Old-time minstrels and glee singers' concert, sponsored by radio station 3DB *Self-improvement lectures by

Elsie Lincoln Benedict Elsie Lincoln (Vandegrift) Benedict (1885–1970), also known as 'The Wonder Woman', was advertised as the world's best known lecturer during the 1920s and 1930's, speaking to over 3 million people in her lifetime and writing on what Napoleon Hill ...

*Extra-ordinary general meeting of

Hoyts The Hoyts Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes Hoyts Cinemas and Val Morgan. Hoyts operates more than 450 cinema screens and 55,000 seats, making it Australia's second largest movie exhibitor after Event Hospita ...

(re-amalgamation with Fox Film Corp.) *Professional artists' concerts (patrons: Sir

John Grice Sir John Grice (6 October 1850 – 27 February 1935) was an Australian businessman, company director and University of Melbourne vice-chancellor. Biography Grice was born in Selly Oak, fourth son of Richard Grice, a Selly Oak merchant. He was ed ...

, Sir

William Brunton William Brunton Senior (26 May 1777 – 5 October 1851) was a Scottish engineer and inventor. Early life He was the eldest son of Robert Brunton, a watchmaker (14 Aug 1748–1834) of Dalkeith, where he was born. He studied mechanics in his fath ...

and Sir

John Monash General Sir John Monash, (; 27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was an Australian civil engineer and military commander of the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became co ...

) directed by J. Alexander Browne, baritone *

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...

'', presented by the (amateur) Proscenium Players *

Community singing Sing-along, also called community singing or group singing, is an event of singing together at gatherings or parties, less formally than choir singing. One can use a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, kids' songs, spiritual ...

*Annual meeting of the

Country Women's Association The Country Women's Association (CWA) is the largest regional and rural advocacy group in Australia. It comprises seven independent State and Territory Associations, who are passionate advocates for country women and their families, working ...

References

{{coord, display=title, -37.8143, 144.9674, type:landmark_region:AU 1928 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures completed in 1928 Buildings and structures in Melbourne City Centre