The first district hall was built in 1860. A new hall was designed by Thomas Frost and added behind the original in 1880. Then in 1936 the stone portico was removed and the building refaced in Art Deco style to the design of Christopher Smith. Smith designed several Adelaide cinemas and at this time a cinema was also included as part of the town hall.
Following the amalgamation of the Hindmarsh and Woodville Councils in the 1990s it became the Education Development Centre under the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services.
This photo shows the Milner Street entrance.
Hindmarsh Town Hall Theatre/Hall, University of South Australia, Architects of South Australia database
The heart of Hindmarsh, by Lia Harris, Weekly Times Messenger, 20 Oct 2010
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It is not often you see a town hall looking like this - a cinema yes, but a town hall not so often. I can see from your description that the original town hall had a stone portico that was removed during the Deco era.
ReplyDeleteThe building exterior looks beautifully maintained.
Undoubtably the 'cinema look' is from the architect Christopher Smith. I've been to the house that he designed for himself and his practive and even it has some elements that would be more at home in a cinema. The ceiling in that house have heavily molded decoration and were silver and other metallic colours.
ReplyDeleteYou can get a glimpse of some of it on one of my previously posts.
http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com/2008/05/house-in-adelaide.html