Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Cinema One, Devonport

Cinema One, DevonportI seem to have captured the Cinema One in Stewart St, Devonport, Tasmania in its death throes in April 2006. The Cinema One signage is still there but the glass in the doors has been papered over and there is no sign of any film promotions or marquee.

There is not much else I can tell you about this cinema. It doesn't seem to be listed on cinematreasures.org and while it is listed in the Tasmanian section of Cinema History Around the World, all its says is that the capacity was 288 and it is closed.

Thomas Ryan wrote about this building on his Art Deco & Modernism Architecture Tasmania blog posting a photo from 2008 with the former cinema sporting a new paint job and operating as a furniture and giftware store.

Surely someone from the Apple Isle can fill me in on the history of this significant Devonport building!

Cinema One, Devonport

References:
Cinema History Around the World
former Cinema, Devonport, Art Deco & Modernism Architecture Tasmania

8 comments:

  1. This building is a fascinating design and it's great to see it's former colours, which I think complement it much more. Sadly I don't think that it will start up anytime soon, as just down the road there is a large modern cinema running. I will try and find out some more about this building and post on my Tasmanian Modernism Blog - http://modernismtas.blogspot.com

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  2. If viewers are interested in Art Deco cinema's, the former Queenstown Cinema in North West Tasmania has been wonderfully restored by it's owner See my post on the Queenstown Cinema here:
    http://modernismtas.blogspot.com/2010/06/queenstown-art-deco-paragon-theatre.html

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  3. Thanks Thomas. I got lots of hits for the new C-Max cinemas in Devonport but not much for the old Cinema One.

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  4. Hi David

    This response is a bit late! It was originally The Star and I believe it was constructed n 1937. As a child in the 1940s and 1950s I saw many films there. There was at last one other cinema in Devonport, but, probably by the end of the 1950's it became the sole cinema in Devonport. I know it was still The Star in the early to mid 1960s. Around then the manager was Arnold Stephens. Cheers Phyllis

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    1. Never too late Phyllis. Thanks for the extra information. The Star is such a better name than Cinema One.

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  5. The capacity you have is incorrect... It was 498 during the cinema one/village cinema days.

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    1. Thanks of the info Gerald. I was quoting a cinema website which has very little information and this particular cinema. That same site has a newer entry for Cmax Devonport listing the capacity as 289 so they definitely think it is 288-289. http://www.cinematour.com/theatres/au/TAS/1.html

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  6. All good. My mother managed that venue for about 22-24 years until its closure, so I know village cinema one Devonport was 498. Gerald

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