The Tivoli Theatre is a former theatre in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. It operated between 1914 until its closure in 1965 and demolition in 1969. It was situated opposite the

Brisbane City Hall Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entran ...

, in the site of the present

King George Square King George Square is a town square, public square located between Adelaide Street, Brisbane, Adelaide Street and Ann Street, Brisbane, Ann Street (and between two sections of Albert Street, Brisbane, Albert Street) in Brisbane, Queensland, A ...

Construction

The Tivoli Theatre's construction began in

Albert Street, Brisbane Albert Street is a street in the Brisbane central business district, Queensland, Australia. It was named after Prince Albert, the Prince Consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Albert Street railway station is being built directly bene ...

in 1914, on the site of the former Turkish baths. It was designed by architect Henry E. White in an

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style and could house 1800 people on three levels. It was chilled by an air plant that could pump ice-cold air through the venue. It had ruby red carpets. It also featured a garden rooftop theatre holding 1200 with open sides for ventilation and steel shutters which could keep out rain. Its facade overlooking Albert Square had Oriental influences. It opened on 15 May 1915 and featured a production of the '' Tivoli Follies'' in the auditorium and a vaudeville production in the rooftop theatre. These were staged by Hugh D. McIntosh, showman and promoter who was influential in the Rickard Tivoli circuit of Australia. It had a rival in vaudeville theatre the Empire Theatre also located in Albert Street which drew bigger crowds. Smoking was permitted in the rooftop theatre. During Brisbane's hot summer months, the rooftop garden was meant to be more desirable. As the building had two entrances, it was possible for two production companies to co-exist on site with separate audiences as well. Films were later shown in both venues after the advent of talking films.

Later renovations

Union Theatres Ltd. renovated the Tivoli Theatre in 1927 using Sydney architects Kaberry and Chard. This was to provide for more seating as the venue changed from a live theatre venue to that more suited to a film going audience. Two galleries were removed to make way for a single dress circle. With the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in the 1930s it was critical that the theatre could accommodate enough people to recover costs from cinema audiences as live theatre attendance dropped. More renovations to the foyer and the auditorium took place in 1935.

Demise of the Theatre

The Tivoli was purchased by the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC, also known as Council) is the local government of the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. The largest local government in Australia by population, BCC's jurisdiction includes 2 ...

in 1963 and closed in 1965. The intended King George Square development led to a number of buildings being demolished, including

Centennial Hall Centennial Hall (, ) may refer to: in Canada * Centennial Hall (London, Ontario), London, Ontario, Canada * Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada * Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium, former name of TCU Place in Germany * , 1902 * Ce ...

and the Hibernian Building. Programs from the theatre are held in the Fryer Library of the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

References

External links

{{coord, -27.468462, 153.023961, display=title 1914 establishments in Australia Theatres completed in 1914 1965 disestablishments in Australia Buildings and structures demolished in 1969 Former theatres in Queensland Theatres in Brisbane Demolished buildings and structures in Brisbane