William Thomas Leighton (1905–1990) was a
Western Australian architect, well known for his
Art Deco and Inter-War Functionalist style of civic, commercial and domestic buildings.
Leighton was born in
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
on 15 July 1905 and after an apprenticeship at the architectural offices of Allen & Nicholas in Fremantle, was one of the first group of architects to be registered as part of the WA Chapter of the
Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
Assessment Documentation
' researched for Heritage Council of Western Australia
The Heritage Council of Western Australia is the Government of Western Australia agency created to identify, conserve and promote places of cultural heritage significance in the state.
Prior to its creation, considerable variance in policy and ...
Leighton then worked in the architectural offices of Eales and Cohen before joining Bohringer, Taylor and Johnson, who sent him on interstate and overseas commissions.
[ Leighton joined the firm Baxter Cox in 1936 and was later to become a partner until the firm was dissolved in the mid-1940s. Leighton joined the Public Works Department for a short time after World War II, before being offered a partnership with Hobbs, Winning and Leighton.][ Leighton was president of RAIA (WA) between 1951 and 1952 Leighton retired in 1975.][
William Leighton worked on a number of Western Australian cinemas including the ]Windsor Cinema
The Windsor Cinema (formerly Windsor Theatre and Gardens and Windsor Twin Cinema) is located at 98 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, Western Australia. It is an Art Deco cinema designed by the architect William T. Leighton and constructed in 1937. It ...
in Nedlands, the Cygnet Cinema
Cygnet Cinema is located at 16 Preston Street, Como, Western Australia. It was the first purpose built sound cinema
Cinema may refer to:
Film
* Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography
* Film or movie, a series of still images ...
in South Perth, the Princess in Fremantle, and the Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade
The Piccadilly Cinema Centre (formerly Piccadilly Theatre) and Piccadilly Arcade are located at 700-704 Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia. It is an art deco style cinema and shopping arcade, designed by architect William T. Leighton for m ...
, Theatre Royal, Metro, Grand and Plaza Theatres in Perth, and the Lyric in Bunbury.,
Leighton died on 11 March 1990 at his Dalkeith
Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: ˆt̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...
residence.
Sources
*Geneve, V. 'William Thomas Leighton: Cinema Architect of the 1930s' in Bromfield, D. (ed.) ''Essays on Art and Architecture in Western Australia'' (Nedlands, U.W.A. Press, 1988) p. 12–21 ()
*William G. Bennett, architect: Articles and notes volume 5, number, December 1992 – January 1993, p. 11
*Geneve, V. 'Obituary: William Thomas Leighton' in ''The Architect'', Vol. 30, No. 2, (Winter 1990) p. 7
*Geneve, V. 'William Thomas Leighton' p. 18; West Australian, 14 March 1990, p. 26 b.
*''Waltzing Moderne'', Vol. 5, number, December 1992 – January 1993, p. 11
Notable buildings
* State Theatre, Melbourne (c.1930)
* Civic Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand (c.1930)Windsor Theatre
The 48th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre at 157 West 48th Street in Manhattan. It was built by longtime Broadway producer William A. Brady and designed by architect William Albert Swasey. The venue was also called the Equity 48th Stree ...
, Nedlands (1938)
* Former Como Theatre (Cygnet Cinema), Como (1938)
* Former State Theatre (Astor Cinema), Mount Lawley (1939)
*Fremantle Port Authority Building & Fremantle Passenger Terminal
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leighton, William
Architects from Western Australia
Architects from Perth, Western Australia
1905 births
1990 deaths
20th-century Australian architects