Conclusion
Graeme Davison has argued that the Regent Theatre survived
not because the experts said the building was important, but because
the trade unions, and many members of the public, cherished the
fake opulence and celluloid illusions of an old-time picture palace
more than the magnificent emptiness of a City Square.64
It's a fair assessment of the saga. The Save the Regent Theatre
Committee was instrumental in gathering community support and forcing
the Council to request a Committee of Inquiry. Committee member
Loris Webster credits Norm Gallagher with saving the theatre,65
but others would argue that it was Webster and the Committee who
had the far greater impact. The Regent Theatre saga is a lesson
in the history of the preservation wars of the 1970s and the power
of community support. But more than that, the longevity of the debate
allowed attitudes and circumstances to change so that the Regent's
significance could be recognised and its viability as a live theatre
embraced. In the nine years since its re-opening, audiences have
been treated to musicals such as Sunset Boulevard, Man
of La Mancha, We will rock you and, now, The lion
king, as well as live music from performers such as Brian Wilson,
KD Lang and Jackson Browne. Although some of the buildings around
them may have changed since 1929, the Regent and Plaza theatres
remain an important part of the Collins Street landscape.
Notes
1. Thanks
are extended to Frank Van Straten, who was a valuable source of
information and contacts and who kindly provided feedback on my
initial draft. The book he and Elaine Marriner produced, The
Regent Theatre: Melbourne's palace of dreams, is an excellent
source on the entire history of the theatre. Thanks to Elaine Marriner
who gave me access to some of the Regent Theatre archives. And finally,
thanks to Loris Webster and Ian Williams who kindly shared with
me their stories of the Save the Regent Theatre campaign.
2. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Save the Regent Theatre Committee submission,
'Architect', 'The building of the Regent Theatre', clipping from
Australian Home Beautiful, 1 April 1929, p. 63.
3. F Van
Straten, The Regent Theatre: Melbourne's palace of dreams,
ELM Publishing, Melbourne, 1996.
4. 'Architect',
p. 68.
5. ibid.,
p. 63.
6. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Save the Regent Theatre Committee submission,
Regent Theatre Gala Opening inaugural programme, 15 March 1929.
7. S Brand,
Picture palaces and flea-pits: eighty years of Australians at
the pictures, Dreamweaver Books, Sydney, 1983, p. 78.
8. Frank
Van Straten, interview, 13 April 2005.
9. Van Straten,
The Regent Theatre, p. 43.
10. PROV,
VPRS 9444/P1, Unit 1, 1969-70, '$40 million tower goes up in 1971',
unsourced newspaper clipping.
11. PROV,
VPRS 9444/P1, Unit 1, 1969-70, 'Save our City Square' flyer.
12. PROV,
VPRS 9444/P1, Unit 1, 1973-74, Melbourne City Council press release,
21 June 1975.
13. S
Yelland, 'Heritage legislation in perspective', in G Davison & C
McConville (eds), A heritage handbook, Allen & Unwin, Sydney,
1991, p. 45.
14. Commonwealth
Government of Australia, Report of the Committee of Inquiry
into the National Estate, Australian Government Publishing
Service, Canberra, 1984, pp. 28-9.
15. National
Trust of Australia (Victoria), In Trust: the first forty years
of the National Trust in Victoria 1956-1996, National Trust,
Melbourne, 1996, p. 46.
16. Report
of the Committee of Inquiry into feasibility of preserving the Banking
Chamber, Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd, Collins St, Melbourne,
1974.
17. G
Davison, 'The battle for Collins Street', in A heritage handbook,
pp. 122-3.
18. ibid.
19. Loris
Webster, interview, 27 April 2005.
20. ibid.
21. M
& V Burgmann, Green bans, red union, University of New
South Wales Press, Sydney, 1998, p. 3.
22. ibid.,
pp. 238-40.
23. PROV,
VPRS 12827/P4, Unit 10, 55/20/16, 'Overacting at the Regent', clipping
from Herald (Melbourne), 17 November 1974.
24. Australian
Building Construction Employees & Builders Labourers Federation,
Builders' laborers defend the people's heritage, Melbourne,
1975 (Regent Theatre archives).
25. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, FH Rogan, Transcript of evidence to Committee
of Inquiry, 11 July 1975, p. 229.
26. Van
Straten, The Regent Theatre, p. 66.
27. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 177, 1750/13/1, Ian Williams to Premier Rupert
Hamer, 18 August 1973.
28. V
Fairfax, A place across the river: they aspired to create the
Victorian Arts Centre, Macmillan Art Publishing, Melbourne,
2002, p. 120.
29. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 177, 1750/13/1, KD Green to George Fairfax,
9 October 1973.
30. Fairfax,
ibid.
31. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Save the Regent Theatre Committee submission,
Sir Robert Helpmann to TR Laidlaw, 8 July 1974.
32. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Save the Regent Theatre Committee submission,
Dame Joan Hammond to TR Laidlaw, 5 August 1974.
33. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 177, 1750/13/1, 'Gough may save the Regent',
clipping from Sunday Press, 10 March 1974.
34. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Save the Regent Theatre Committee submission,
Brian McKinlay, 'Fighting for an amazing pleasure dome', clipping
from Nation Review, 8 March 1974.
35. PROV,
VPRS 12827/P1, Unit 143, 0/29-02-08-1, Clarke Gazzard Pty Ltd, Melbourne
civic square feasibility study, August 1974.
36. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 177, 1750/13/3, Lord Mayor Ron Walker to Premier
Rupert Hamer, 2 December 1974.
37. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Save the Regent Theatre Committee submission,
'Theatre splendour must be preserved', clipping from Trust Newsletter,
October 1974, pp. 8-10.
38. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 177, 1750/13/3, FT Cron, 'Regent Theatre',
19 February 1975.
39. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Historic Buildings Preservation Council, Report
to the Minister for Planning, the Honourable A. J. Hunt, M.L.C on
the application by the Save the Regent Theatre Committee for the
Regent and Plaza Theatres Collins Street, Melbourne to be added
to the register of historic buildings, August 1975, p. 5.
40. PROV,
VPRS 12827/P4, Unit 10, 55/20/16, public advertisement, clipping
from Herald, 8 March 1975.
41. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 178, 1750/13/7, Mrs Del Pascoe to FT Cron,
9 March 1975.
42. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 178, 1750/13/7, Mr CEL Horton to FT Cron,
undated.
43. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 178, 1750/13/7, Paul McCluskey, 11 July 1975.
44. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 178, 1750/13/7, Rev. JE Hull to FT Cron,
8 February 1975.
45. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Melbourne City Council submission, John D
Fisher to the Editor, clipping from Herald and Weekly Times,
10 April 1975.
46. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, FH Rogan, Transcript of evidence to Committee
of Inquiry, 9 July 1975.
47. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Melbourne City Council submission, p. 3.
48. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Loris Webster, Transcript of evidence to Committee
of Inquiry, 9 July 1975.
49. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, National Trust of Australia (Victoria) submission.
50. PROV,
VPRS 9963/P1, Unit 1, Loris Webster, Transcript of evidence to Committee
of Inquiry, 11 July 1975.
51. PROV,
VPRS 7614/P1, Unit 178, 1750/13/9, 'Meeting with Premier', 11 July
1975.
52. Regent
Theatre: Report of Committee of Inquiry into feasibility of retaining
the Regent Theatre in Collins Street as an integral part of the
future City Square project, [1975], Government Printer, Melbourne,
1976, pp. 47-8.
53. Webster,
interview, 22 April 2005.
54. PROV,
VPRS 12827/P4, Unit 10, 55/20/16, 'Pull it down', clipping from
Herald, 12 March 1976.
55. PROV,
VPRS 12827/P4, Unit 10, 55/20/16, Regent Arts Alliance, 'Preliminary
ideas for discussion', 14 May 1986.
56. PROV,
VPRS 12827/P4, Unit 10, 55/20/16, KW Scoble, 12 June 1986.
57. PROV,
VPRS 12827/P4, Unit 10, 55/20/16, David Bailey to the Ministry for
the Arts, July 1985.
58. Melbourne
City Council & Chase Corporation Australia, The Regent City
Square Development: a new beginning, promotional brochure,
courtesy of Ian Williams.
59. Her
Majesty's Theatre, 'History', viewed 20 August 2004, http://www.hermajestystheatre.com.au/theatre.html.
60. M
Colligan, Her Majesty's Theatre 1886-1986: a report prepared
for the Historic Buildings Council, Historic Buildings Council,
Melbourne, 1986, p. 31.
61. Heritage
Victoria, 'Heritage Register Online: Regent Theatre', viewed 23
September 2004, http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au.
62. ibid.
63. Ian
Williams, email, 16 April 2005.
64. Davison,
p. 122.
65. Webster,
interview, 22 April 2005.
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