Plaza Ballroom, Regent Theatre
191 Collins Street
www.marrinertheatres.com.au

Built: 1929-30
Architect: 1929-30 Cedric H Ballantyne, 1945 Cowper Murphy & Appleford (restoration); 1994 Allom Lovell & Associates (restoration).
Owner: Marriner Theatres

The Plaza Ballroom, Regent Theatre is a magnificent heritage-listed venue set at the heart of Melbourne at the famous Regent Theatre. As Melbourne's grandest 'picture palace' the Plaza Ballroom draws heavily on American cinema design.

Open to MOH: Plaza Ballroom
Times: 10 am to 5pm
Access restrictions: Stair access only.

The Plaza Ballroom, Regent Theatre, built in 1929, is decorated in an exotic Spanish Colonial style, extremely popular in the United States, and introduced to Australia at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre that opened a year before. The style has since been replicated many times, including the Melbourne Plaza in George Street, Sydney.

The Plaza Foyer emulates a Spanish courtyard with small fountain, and paved floor. In the Ballroom, above the promenades on either side are walls pierced by faux windows, backlit to simulate moonlight. The proscenium is richly detailed and flanked by curved 'Juliette' balconies. Ornate bronze chandeliers hang from the Aztec ceiling, which is an eye-dazzling grid of intersecting beams, with every surface colourfully embellished with heraldic emblems in hand-painted tempera.

Disaster struck in 1945 when both the Regent Theatre and Plaza Ballroom were destroyed by fire. Rebuilt by Cowper Murphy & Appleford, and meticulously restored to its former glory, Marriner Theatres reopened the doors on 17th August 1996, and today, the Plaza Ballroom stands today more lavish and grand than ever.

Source: Marriner Theatres
Plaza Ballroom

Plaza Ballroom