Originally published on Broadsheet.
The 94-year-old Northcote cinema isn’t letting old age get the better of it.
Locals built and financed the Palace Westgarth in 1921, and it still stands as one of Melbourne’s prime cinemas. Now it’s expanding, adding two new movie theatres to offer an extra 12 screenings a day.
“After the installation of solar panels earlier this year, and with the addition of the new cinemas, we are focused on ensuring the viability of Melbourne’s oldest operating purpose-built cinema,” says Palace Cinemas CEO, Benjamin Zeccola.
The development hasn’t compromised the historical, Art Deco essence of the building. It has kept the cinema’s proscenium arch stage in the process.
And after a movie, a drink is in order, preferably out in the fresh air. The Palace Westgarth can now accommodate your needs, adding a courtyard bar to the cinema.
Up-cycled furniture and murals designed by local artists will surround the bar, which will sit adjacent to the existing cinema bar. It will be completed by January 2016, and will host a public Australia Day barbeque to celebrate.
Image credit: Charlie Kinross
caterina hrysomallis 