Semaphore Library
Semaphore Library | |
---|---|
![]() Semaphore Town Hall, circa 1937 | |
Location | 10-14 Semaphore Road Semaphore SA 5019 |
Coordinates | 34°50′19″S 138°28′53″E / 34.838679°S 138.481337°E |
Built | 1884 |
Architect | Wright and Reed |
Governing body | City of Port Adelaide Enfield |
Type | State Heritage Place |
Designated | 1 September 1983 |
Reference no. | 2984 |
The Semaphore Library is a
Institute and town hall
The building was constructed as the Semaphore Institute, an early
In 1889, it was sold to the municipality to be used as the Semaphore Town Hall.
From 1910 until around 1912 or 1913, the hall was used as a temporary cinema by a number of organisers while continuing to be used for other community functions.
During the
Cinema
In 1929, the town hall underwent extensive renovations to designs in
The company later became Ozone Theatres, and would become one of the two major movie chains in South Australia.[10] In 1951, Hoyts bought out the Ozone company, and in 1952 undertook a complete refurbishment of the Semaphore Cinema,[1] reopening on 20 November as Hoyts Ozone Theatre.[3] However, box office takings suffered from the introduction of television, and Hoyts closed the cinema on 21 May 1960.[1][3]
In 1966 the
The building was vacant from 1985 to 1993, when the City of Port Adelaide restored the building as the Semaphore Library,[1] which opened on 11 February 1994.[3]
Heritage listing
The building, located at 14 Semaphore Road, was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register on 1 September 1983, and was also listed on the Register of the National Estate.[10][11]
The building remains substantially intact from its previous uses, and its state heritage listing notes that "enough interior elements of both periods [as a cinema] remain for it to be quite a significant representative of suburban cinemas in their heyday".[10]
References
- ^ a b c d "Semaphore Library History" (PDF). City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ "A Chronology of Semaphore". Semaphore Mainstreet Association. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Semaphore Cinema in Adelaide, AU". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- Daily Herald (Adelaide). Vol. 3, no. 739. South Australia. 19 July 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 31 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- Daily Herald (Adelaide). Vol. 3, no. 770. South Australia. 28 August 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 31 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Hugh Waterman and sons extend the Ozone cinema chain from Adelaide's Semaphore in 1911 to eastern states". AdelaideAZ. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "Amusements". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. LIII, no. 16, 296. South Australia. 9 January 1911. p. 11. Retrieved 31 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- Daily Herald (Adelaide). Vol. 7, no. 2116. South Australia. 1 January 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 31 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Smith, Chris" (PDF). Architecture Museum Biography Series. University of South Australia. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ a b c "Semaphore Library & Shops". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ "Semaphore Cinema (former)". Register of the National Estate. Department of the Environment. Retrieved 19 November 2015.