The Enfield Savoy Theatre (previously the Enfield Cinema; subsequently the Hoyts Savoy Theatre; also known as the Enfield Savoy) was a theatre and cinema located at 306-308 Liverpool Road, Enfield, a suburb in the inner west region of Sydney, New South Wales. The building now functions as a hardware store.

Enfield Savoy Theatre
  • Enfield Cinema
  • Hoyts Savoy Theatre
  • Enfield Savoy
Enfield Savoy Theatre is located in Sydney
Enfield Savoy Theatre
Enfield Savoy Theatre
Location within Sydney
Address306-308 Liverpool Road, Enfield
Sydney, New South Wales
Australia
Coordinates33°53′13″S 151°05′34″E / 33.88686°S 151.09290°E / -33.88686; 151.09290
Capacity1,878
Current useHardware store
Construction
Opened16 November 1927 (1927-11-16)
Closed9 January 1960 (1960-01-09)
ArchitectClifford M. Chard, Lewis Kaberry, George Newton Kenworthy
Website
strathfieldheritage.org/recreation-and-shops/enfield-savoy-cinema/

History

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Designed by the architectural firm Kaberry and Chard,[1] the theatre was opened on 16 November 1927, with a seating capacity of 1,878.[2] In 1928 Enfield Council valued the building at 17,000.[1]

In 1930 there was an armed hold up at the theatre.[3] In 1932, Western Suburbs Cinemas Ltd, a company which also operated the Strathfield Melba and Homebush Theatre in Sydney’s western suburbs took over management of the Enfield Savoy.[1]

The theatre was redesigned in the Art Deco style in 1938.[4] The façade and interior were rebuilt under guidance of architect G N Kentworthy who also designed Cremorne Orpheum Theatre and a Christie organ was added and was opened by organist Dennis Palmistra.[2] The instrument was originally installed in the Hoyts De Luxe Theatre, Melbourne, then the Hoyts Plaza Theatre, Sydney.[1][2] The cinema was renamed the Savoy and reopened by the Mayor of Enfield in July 1938.[1]

In 1944 Western Suburbs Cinemas Ltd was taken over by Hoyts resulting in a name change to the Hoyts Savoy Theatre.[1]

The last film shown at the cinema was Some Like It Hot in 1960.[4][1]

It was converted into a carpet & furniture shop in 1981, and continues today as a plumbing & bathroom company.[5]

Later years

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After the cinema closed, the building had various retail uses including Shoppers World (1960),[2] carpet and furniture store (1981),[2] Quality House, Whitewood Warehouse, and the Poliak Building Supply Company.[2][4]

A campaign in 2017 to list the building on the local heritage register was unsuccessful.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Enfield Savoy Cinema". Strathfield Heritage. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Roe, Ken. "Hoyts Savoy Theatre in Sydney, AU - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  3. ^ "SHOTS FIRED". The Maitland Daily Mercury. No. 18, 534. New South Wales, Australia. 1 September 1930. p. 1. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b c "Savoy Cinema/Quality House/Whitewood Warehouse/Poliak Building Supply Co. – Enfield, NSW". Past/Lives of the Near Future. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Hoyts Savoy Theatre". cinema treasures. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  6. ^ McKee, Jillian (3 July 2017). "Two iconic theatres miss out on heritage listing". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2018.

Further reading

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