Enfield Savoy Theatre
The Enfield Savoy Theatre (previously the Enfield Cinema; subsequently the Hoyts Savoy Theatre; also known as the Enfield Savoy) was a theatre and cinema located at 306-308 Liverpool Road, Enfield, a suburb in the inner west region of Sydney, New South Wales. The building now functions as a hardware store.
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  Enfield Savoy Theatre Location within Sydney | |
| Address | 306-308 Liverpool Road, Enfield Sydney, New South Wales Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°53′16″S 151°07′21″E |
| Capacity | 1,878 |
| Current use | Hardware store |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 16 November 1927 |
| Closed | 9 January 1960 |
| Architect | Clifford M. Chard, Lewis Kaberry, George Newton Kenworthy |
| Website | |
| strathfieldheritage | |
History
Designed by the architectural firm Kaberry and Chard,[1] the theatre was opened on 16 November 1927, with a seating capacity of 1,878.[2] In 1928 Enfield Council valued the building at A£17,000.[1]
In 1930 there was an armed hold up at the theatre.[3] In 1932, Western Suburbs Cinemas Ltd, a company which also operated the Strathfield Melba and Homebush Theatre in Sydney’s western suburbs took over management of the Enfield Savoy.[1]
The theatre was redesigned in the Art Deco style in 1938.[4] The façade and interior were rebuilt under guidance of architect G N Kentworthy who also designed Cremorne Orpheum Theatre and a Christie organ was added and was opened by organist Dennis Palmistra.[2] The instrument was originally installed in the Hoyts De Luxe Theatre, Melbourne, then the Hoyts Plaza Theatre, Sydney.[1][2] The cinema was renamed the Savoy and reopened by the Mayor of Enfield in July 1938.[1]
In 1944 Western Suburbs Cinemas Ltd was taken over by Hoyts resulting in a name change to the Hoyts Savoy Theatre.[1]
The last film shown at the cinema was Some Like It Hot in 1960.[4][1]
It was converted into a carpet & furniture shop in 1981, and continues today as a plumbing & bathroom company.[5]
Later years
After the cinema closed, the building had various retail uses including Shoppers World (1960),[2] carpet and furniture store (1981),[2] Quality House, Whitewood Warehouse, and the Poliak Building Supply Company.[2][4]
A campaign in 2017 to list the building on the local heritage register was unsuccessful.[6]
References
- "Enfield Savoy Cinema". Strathfield Heritage. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- Roe, Ken. "Hoyts Savoy Theatre in Sydney, AU - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- "SHOTS FIRED". The Maitland Daily Mercury (18, 534). New South Wales, Australia. 1 September 1930. p. 1. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- "Savoy Cinema/Quality House/Whitewood Warehouse/Poliak Building Supply Co. – Enfield, NSW". Past/Lives of the Near Future. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- "Hoyts Savoy Theatre". cinema treasures. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- McKee, Jillian (3 July 2017). "Two iconic theatres miss out on heritage listing". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
Further reading
- Cork, Kevin J. (1989), A history of the cinemas of Burwood Municipality (Rev. ed., and repr ed.), K. J. Cork, ISBN 978-0-9592753-2-2
- Valuation List: Assessment 991. Department of NSW Valuer-General. Government of New South Wales. 1 October 1928.