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Showing Tag: "buildings" (Show all posts)

The Windsor Cinema in Nedlands

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, October 6, 2014,
Growing up in Perth in the seventies and eighties I have fond memories of seeing films in the city's cinemas. Sadly, some of them are no more. Ironically, a couple of those that have gone were actually comparatively new, like this one in Murray St

Thankfully, many of the older cinema buildings still remain. There's the Cygnet Cinema in Como, and another charming art deco construction, the Windsor Cinema in Stirling Highway, Nedlands. 

Other local art deco buildings are listed here


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The Cygnet Cinema in Como

Posted by Matt Hayden on Sunday, July 14, 2013,
I was in Como a couple of weeks ago on a cold, clear day and took some shots of the Cygnet Cinema. Not unlike the Luna Cinema in Oxford St Leederville it's a charming art deco building beloved by local film buffs.

I have only seen a few movies there but have mostly strong recollections of them because of the venue's distinctiveness. I saw Annie Hall there when I was in my teens and I remember going there with my dad and sister when I was much younger than that, probably only about eight or nin...
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Perth Arena's striking blue entrance

Posted by Matt Hayden on Thursday, December 20, 2012,
As it was being built, the Perth Arena copped a lot of flack, even being derided as Perth's ugliest building. But now that it's finished I think a lot of people will be reassessing their opinion of it.

Sure, it's not to everyone's taste. But it's certainly a visually distinctive structure that leaves a mark on you.

The thing I find most striking about it is the deep blue colouring of the entrance and wall above it. It's an amazingly powerful hue created by the artist Yves Klein.

I suspect its...
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Claremont Hotel and Claremont Quarter

Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, December 7, 2012,
Another location where you can see a pronounced recent transformation in Perth is in Bayview Terrace, Claremont. Right on the corner, across from the train station is the Claremont Hotel. It's not exactly dilapidated, but it's certainly showing its age. This impression is exaggerated by the fact that there's a massive shopping complex right next to it called Claremont Quarter.





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The old Royal George Hotel in East Fremantle

Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, December 7, 2012,
If you're anywhere near the intersection of Canning and Stirling Highways you can see an isolated and stately old building surrounded by vegetation called the Royal George Hotel. In its style and appearance it's quite similar to the Brass Monkey Hotel in Northbridge.

It hasn't been used as a hotel for a long time, however. It's most recent function was as an arts and community centre, although I'm not sure if it's still being utilized as such. I think it might currently be empty and unused. It...
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Equus Apartments loom over Barrack and Hay Sts

Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, December 5, 2012,
Numerous big luxury apartment blocks have been built in Perth over the last several years. Perhaps the most impressive and well located of these are the Equus Apartments at 580 Hay St.

The main entrance is right opposite the Perth Town Hall. I recall that exact location very well, because it was where Cinema City used to be. That was built in the late seventies as I recall and there was a lot of excitement about it at the time. I saw dozens of movies there over the years. (I think the last one...
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Regal Theatre and Subiaco Hotel

Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, December 4, 2012,
There are numerous locations in Perth where you can see a strong contrast between the old and the new. The corner of Rokeby Road and Hay St in Subiaco is one of these.

There are two lovely old buildings at that intersection, the Subiaco Hotel and the Regal Theatre. The former was built around 1904, in the Art Nouveau style. The latter is an Art Deco building constructed in the mid to late 1930s. Just opposite both of them is the garish home of radio station Nova 93.7. Not sure when that was bu...
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Perth Arena construction, Entertainment Centre demolition inspire art exhibition

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, November 5, 2012,
When starting this blog I kept returning to the Perth Entertainment Centre as it was being demolished. Similarly, I've posted about the Perth Arena. I did this because I felt that the destruction of the former coinciding with the construction of the latter was a good metaphor for how Perth was changing. (I even had a photo of each project on this site's main page for a while, but took them down because they didn't seem to sit right next to the text.)

It seems I'm not the only one who felt this...
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68 Milligan St is a distinctive and memorable building

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, September 17, 2012,
Everyone in Perth will know the building located at 68 Milligan St. It's close to the heart of the CBD, and is right opposite where the old Perth Entertainment Centre used to be.

It's a low-slung, curved and oddly shaped building that looks as thought it was built fairly recently. But it's actually been there for a long while, at least 40 years I would say.

I'm certain of this because I can clearly remember when the top section housed a roller skating rink. I think it was a car park during the...
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Charming old shops in Hamilton Hill

Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, June 12, 2012,
I do quite a bit of walking through the suburbs of Perth. There are very few streets that are the same as what I remember from when I was growing up. That's not to say that there are new buildings on every street -- although there are a hell of a lot of them. But even in long established suburbs, there always seems to be evidence of fairly recent refurbishment and extensions having been added, etc.

So I tend to have the sense that the "old Perth" has pretty much gone entirely. However, every n...
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Flag and Whistle next to gleaming new apartments

Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, June 8, 2012,
Still on the subject of Fremantle and how its obvious sense of history can jar with other aspects of the place: One very distinctive and highly visible old building is the Flag and Whistle Hotel in Beach Street.

This is very close to the railway line and quite near the station itself. You can see it clearly from the train as you travel in or out of Freo.

It's a beautifully ramshackle old pub. I'm not sure if it's currently being used as such. But it certainly was a few years ago because I went ...
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Fremantle Town Hall houses psychic fair

Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, June 8, 2012,
As anyone who's ever been to Fremantle knows very well, it's a charming old place. You can really feel the history there. The atmosphere is strongest in the town centre, where there are many old buildings that have been well preserved.

The other characteristic of Freo is that it's a haven of tolerance, and there are lots of greenies, hippies and New Agers living there. I find this quite incongruous because the age and history of the place evoke a strong, staid and Christian tradition.

Not so lo...
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Unfinished Oswal mansion is the exception that proves the rule

Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, June 5, 2012,
With Western Australia continuing to enjoy the fruits of the resources boom there's still a lot of construction going on in Perth. If you go through an area that you haven't visited for a long while, you may well see the odd busy building site with lots of big beefy blokes in yellow safety jackets milling about. You pass by again a year later and lo and behold, there's a gleaming new apartment block there!

Sure, some of these big projects have been plagued by long delays. Take the Perth Arena,...
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The Mosman Park Memorial Hall in Lochee St

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, June 4, 2012,
Having recently moved to Mosman Park from Yokine, I've been having the occasional stroll through the streets to get a feel for the suburb. It's a unique place and a bit of a mishmash demographically.

It's just on the eastern side of the busy Stirling Highway, which runs right alongside the railway line. On the other side of that is the very upmarket Cottesloe. But right near the train station there's a basin containing a whole plethora of apartment blocks, a couple of which are very tall inde...
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Perth Arena voted the city's ugliest building

Posted by Matt Hayden on Thursday, May 17, 2012,
Perth Arena, which is still quite a while from completion, has been a controversial project right from the start. It should have been completed long ago, and the owner of the company overseeing its construction clearly rues the day he became involved with it. He hates the very sight of the structure, memorably likening it to a "squashed beer can".

As if that were not enough abuse it has now been voted "Perth's ugliest building" in an online poll of Perth Now readers. If the building had a soul...
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Strange building in North Perth

Posted by Matt Hayden on Thursday, February 16, 2012,
Perth does have its fair share of odd and eccentric buildings. And one that has long fascinated me can be found on the corner of Scarborough Beach Rd and London St in North Perth.

It's an odd structure that has a vaguely Mediterranean feel to it and it looks like some sort of storage space. It's been there for as long as I can remember, and every time I go past it I scratch my head wondering what it's for, and what the hell the builder was trying to say with it! I suspect that many people ask ...
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Perth Arena construction photos

Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, September 14, 2011,
At about the same rate that the Perth Entertainment Centre is being demolished the nearby Perth Arena is being constructed. It's much bigger than the "Ent Cent" and I suspect will be a lot harder to tear down when it too finally passes its "use by" date several decades from now. As you can see from this shot (which, like all the others in this post, was taken in early August) it's amazing how much steel is in there!



Although it is a very big structure, you really can't get a sense of its size...
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Perth Entertainment Centre demolition photos

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, August 29, 2011,
I'd say a high percentage of Perth locals will have seen the Entertainment Centre lately, and know that it's disappearing bit by bit. The demolition of this famous local landmark has been going on for several weeks now, perhaps even a couple of months, yet it's not quite half done. It does seem a bit odd that it would take so long. (Although I suppose its bottom heavy design meant that it could not be destroyed in one mighty blast, like so many big structures are these days.)

In any case it do...
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The McNess Royal Arcade in Perth

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, August 22, 2011,
A few months ago I read an article in one of the Perth papers about the many heritage listed buildings in the CBD. The story included an interview with an expert in the field who talked about the "look up" factor in the city.

By that he meant that you probably won't be aware of the city's architectural legacy if you look straight ahead. All you'll see then is shopfronts that have been refurbished over and over again to keep them looking contemporary.

You have to consciously lift your gaze to ...
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The Red Castle Motel in Rivervale

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, August 22, 2011,
If you drive along the Great Eastern Highway through Burswood you're sure to see the Red Castle Motor Inn in Rivervale. It's been there for as long as I can recall, and has always looked memorably incongruous. (Some people think it's incredibly ugly, but I think that's a bit unkind.)

It seems to be such an eccentric choice of design, which makes me curious about its history. I've done some Googling but can't find anything.

Anyway, here's one photo of it from near the Highway. I took it late in...
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Good books about and set in Perth and Fremantle
Perth
Line of Sight
When War Came to Fremantle
The Devil's Garden
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