Lyric Theatre (fmr)

Author

City of Bunbury

Place Number

00374

Location

73-77 Victoria St Bunbury

Location Details

Cnr Symmons St

Other Name(s)

Bill Brown's Furniture Store
Goldfields Theatre, Webster's Dance Hall

Local Government

Bunbury

Region

South West

Construction Date

Constructed from 1905, Constructed from 1937

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
Heritage List Adopted 15 Apr 2003
State Register Registered 23 May 1997 HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
Register of the National Estate Indicative Place
Classified by the National Trust Recorded 04 May 1981
Art Deco Significant Bldg Survey Completed 30 Jun 1994
Municipal Inventory Adopted 31 Jul 1996 Exceptional Significance

Statement of Significance

Lyric Theatre (fmr), a brick-walled, iron-roofed auditorium latterly divided into two storeys for use as a furniture showroom, including a pair of attached single-storeyed shops, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: the place has aesthetic merit as an accomplished theatre complex design, still apparent in the remains of the original building, especially remaining in the contribution to the streetscape of Bunbury and for the extant auditorium ceiling and truss structure; the place has historic associations with the evolution of legitimate and cinematic theatre in the City of Bunbury and the State and for its associations with the theatrical entrepreneurs Hyam Weiss and the Nelson Bros. and the prominent theatre architect W.T. Leighton; the place has scientific value as a teaching resource, being a catalyst prompting discovery and appraisal of the contribution of Hyam Weiss through the Nelson Bros to theatrical entertainment, and evidencing the chain of theatrical inheritance from the UK to Australia; the place is a benchmark for appraisal of regional and Edwardian theatres; and contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the full range and variety of architecture of the gold boom and post-depression recovery eras; and, the place has social value from the propensity for the place to be revived as a specialist theatre, and as a contributor to a notable streetscape that acts as a gathering place engendering the local community's sense of place and identity.

Physical Description

Lyric Theatre (fmr) is a brick-walled, iron-roofed auditorium latterly divided into two storeys for use as a furniture showroom, including a pair of attached single-storeyed shops. The style of the building complex is predominantly gold boom Free -Classical, or Italianate, with the limited re-modelling of 1937 being Inter -War Art Deco. The building is a united complex of a two-storey-scaled auditorium divided by a late inserted first floor, together with a two-storyed front of projection room above shops flanking the entrance foyer, with two specialty shops on the southern portion of the former undivided Town Lot on which the whole is sited, at the corner of Victoria and Symmons Streets. The external form and style of the attached shops is that of a simple shed structure with symmetrical facade of glazed shop-fronts and cantilevered street footpath canopy. The canopy is of modern construction of differing dimensions to that on the theatre, and replaces the former post-supported verandah. The main facade wall which evidences the shops' age is surmounted by a pilastered parapet surmounted by damaged end finials that probably would have matched those obelisk-lidded cast cement urns on the main theatre parapet. The parapet is surmounted at the centre by a pediment stilted on pilasters supported (flanked ) by reduced scrolls. The form of the auditorium is of a pitched-roofed shed with gabled ends, the eastern "front" end gable surmounted by a raised pediment. This gable is clad by the bay of street-front foyer, flanking shops, and projection room that has been subjected to Art Deco remodelling The western, rear end gable is clad by the backstage structure which has a skillion roof concealed within a stepped facade. The extant free-Classical Symmons Street auditorium facade is divided into four main bays and one lesser bay, the latter including an ocular (circular) window over a pedimented escape door. This bay identifies the position internally of the staircase to the upper mezzanine balcony. The bays are defined by pilasters unrelated to the spacings of the internal trusses, and the four main bays include large arched windows above, in two bays, pedimented exit doors.

History

The Lyric Theatre was built in 1905 for Hyam “Harry” Weiss. Harry Weiss had come to Western Australia in the 1890s, and after he brought his three brothers to join him, formed the Bunbury Band. Harry, Solomon, Benjamin and Israel had uniforms made up and played up and down the streets of Bunbury. There were regular Sunday morning performers at the Bunbury Recreation Ground, as well as on the pleasure boats that left from Bunbury Jetty to cruise the Leschenault Inlet. Harry Weiss has business interests in Collie and Bunbury and according to his son, Albert, provided about the only decent entertainment in Bunbury in the early 1900s. In 1903, Harry, Benjamin and Solomon Weiss purchased Lot 192 and the following year Harry had local architect F W Steere draw up plans for a theatre and shops. They decided to call the theatre the “Lyric” after the London theatre where their mother had performed. Contractors J & H Gibbs completed the theatre and shops in time for Sir Newton Moore to officially open them on 5 April 1905. The cost of the contract blew out from £3,500 to about £5,000 at a time when the population of Bunbury was only 2,670. The Lyric Theatre provided the opportunity for enjoyment of amusements outside of the family drawing room or public saloon. In addition to theatre performances, the building was for silent films, talkies, dances, band contests, skating and public functions. In 1910, there were three skating sessions a day. In 1928, Benjamin Weiss became the sole owner of the Lyric Theatre and began to extend entertainment opportunities beyond the theatre itself. With the rise in popularity of cinema in the 1930s, Benjamin commenced touring film shows throughout the south west. The Lyric Theatre was sold to Nelson Bros Goldfields Pictures Ltd in 1936 and a fire on 3 April 1937 caused extensive damage and controversy. The fire meant that the theatre had to be extensively rebuilt and the theatre space was remodelled as a cinema theatre. This necessitated raising the auditorium roof trusses to allow for the projection lines. The cast iron verandah and imposing entry gates were removed at this time. The remodelling was designed by William Leighton of the architectural firm Baxter, Cox and Leighton. The work included the remodelling of the street frontage of the theatre and shops, design of the projection box, the application of decorative grillage to the arched windows of the mezzanine and the installation of a fibrous plaster proscenium arch. The work, including the Art Deco façade, cost £3,000 and was Leighton’s first cinema project in Western Australia. He went on to specialise in this area. In 1949/50, serious consideration was given to converting the Lyric Theatre as the new Bunbury Town Hall and plans were drawn up. However, the proposal did not go ahead. The theatre and shops were sold to William Brown in 1962 for use as a furniture store. Brown installed the staircase to the mezzanine floor in the 1980s – apparently the staircase came from the Cottesloe Picture Theatre. Mr Brown is also credited with inserting the first floor within the auditorium, which serves as a second showroom. Some alterations have been made to the rear of the stage to allow furniture deliveries to both floors. Bill Brown’s Furniture Store was still in operation in 2000, however ceased operation by 2012/13.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium degree of integrity (original intent clear, current use different to original but compatible, high long term sustainability). Medium degree of authenticity - alterations but with much original fabric remaining (These statements based on street survey only). Original facade as photographed c1907, featured a two storey building with a small verandah balcony standing proud of the main building mass. At the lower level corrugated iron covered verandahs extended either side of the balcony supported on slender wooden posts. In 1910 iron lace verandahs were added which complemented the neighbouring Grand Central Temperance Hostel. These were removed following fire damage in 1937. Several alterations have taken place to accommodate a furniture showroom, however the essential elements of its former life as a theatre still exist e.g. the proscenium arch; the bio box; and the ticketing box.

Condition

Condition assessed as fair (assessed from streetscape survey only).

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
3910 The former Lyric Theatre, Bill Brown and Co, the Furniture Store, Bunbury, Western Australia : conservation plan. Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} 1999
11459 Picture Palaces of the Golden West Book 2016
7299 Bunbury images : people and places. Book 2004

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use COMMERCIAL Shop\Retail Store {single}
Original Use SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL Theatre or Cinema

Architectural Styles

Style
Federation Free Classical
Inter-War Art Deco

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall BRICK Common Brick
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron

Historic Themes

General Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Cultural activities
OCCUPATIONS Commercial & service industries

Creation Date

19 Jul 1988

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

27 Oct 2017

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.