19 January 2024:
The FB page Cinemas & Theatres of Australia has these great images of the Forum – it opened in Feb 1929 as the State Theatre, and while the interior was ‘a Florentine courtyard’, the exterior was Moorish, and was painted in many colours – ochre, jade green, sepia and Prussian blue, as in the drawings, from brochure or poster, and as described in a 1929 news article I found. It also had coloured light globes on the big dome and the little one too. There were lots of floodlights too it seems, as in the night photo from 1929. The condition report (see below) says there were lights at the crossings of the diamond pattern on the walls too, though perhaps never installed since they don’t show up in the night photo).
Then I found an article from 1932 saying it was to be repainted ‘in more subdued colours’, namely cream with bronze for the grills, which sound pretty much the same as now. I’d very much like the original polychrome scheme to be recreated, not to mention the lights, which I clearly remember, and let’s not forget the clock (why does it have clocks ? So you won’t be late for the movie ?). First photo is mine.
Saw a post on Facebook that there was scaffolding going up at the Forum, and there was an Heritage Victoria permit sign – turns out HV sent Marriner Theatres a ‘show cause’ note last year over the poor condition of the exterior, which lead to a condition report by @conservationstudio, which revealed just how bad it all was, and that some parts were dangerous, and should be removed ! Namely the projecting grilled bays, and the crenellations on the lower edge of the tower. All the photos are from their report, some great angles and close ups, but it all looks pretty awful. There’s no indication of a timeline for reinstatement, except that it will be a requirement of the permit to do it within two years. Apparently not touched since 1981. Oh, and trucks keep smashing bits of the verandah. Maybe we can make a fuss by direct message to @forummelbourne, or email the Marriner group- just Google their contacts page.
(The next day my Instagram post led to a phone call from the Age, who quoted me in this story : https://amp.theage.com.au/national/victoria/forum-theatre-needs-urgent-work-on-parts-of-building-at-risk-of-collapse-20240119-p5eylq.html)
21 January 2024
I’ve just realised that the Moorish style exterior of the Forum is practically unique amongst the hundred of Picture Palaces built in the 1920s – I can only find three others amongst the hundreds of cinemas in various styles, but mostly Spanish or Baroque (or Spanish Baroque), that were built around the world at that time, but mostly in the US. John Eberson, who invented the ‘atmospheric’ interior as if an open courtyard, and who did the Forum in 1929, designed dozens in various exotic styles, and I found an unbuilt design from 1926 with a bejewelled domed tower like ours, though it’s generally Spanish Baroqueish. The next image is the 1926 Riviera Omaha, which has many similarities, including screened oriels, but it’s more Florentine. Then the next year he did the totally amazing Avalon Theatre in Chicago in ‘Persian’ style, complete with coloured tiles and a Persian interior too. It’s been unused since 2010, but is being kept intact (just). The last one is the Fox Atlanta, built in 1929 originally for the Shriners (like the Freemasons I think), so an exotic style was considered appropriate, and the side entrance to the meeting rooms looks just like a mosque. The interior is great, like a courtyard out of the Arabian Nights. So our very own Forum is almost unique – in the world !
All photos the internet.
Storey of Melbourne 