A drink and a movie with a view of Wollongong’s skyline could be a way to spend the evening in Wollongong – if a new development application for the Regent Theatre is approved. Artist’s render: Manche Designs.
It’s one of Wollongong’s most iconic buildings, with a rich history that takes in the birth of the city, architecture, pioneering women, war and entertainment.
Now the Regent Theatre could be born anew.
A development application envisions a building with multiple spaces for live entertainment, a cocktail bar, food, and a rooftop cinema.
But once upon a time the theatre was part and parcel of a land grant to eminent 1800s Wollongong identity Charles Throsby Smith in 1835.
A century later entrepreneur Herbert Wyndham Jones bought the block freehold with the dream of building a picture theatre to screen the booming “talkies”.
A pioneer of the film industry in the Illawarra region, Mr Jones had already leased the Princes Theatre at Corrimal as a silent movie house.
The outbreak of World War II put a handbrake on his hopes for the site of the Regent Theatre however.
Following the death of Mr Jones in 1943, his wife Emily and her son Maurice took on the project.
The first stage of construction at 197-199 Keira Street began in 1950 and the building was opened to patrons on Boxing Day 1957.
The interior of the theatre, including the vestibule and mezzanine lounge, was designed by acclaimed interior designers Marian Hall Best and her niece, architect Janet Single.
Today the building is heritage listed with Wollongong City Council and on the NSW registry as an almost immaculate example of the original Art Deco style, an outstanding example of mid-20th century women’s design in NSW, and its association with the development of Wollongong.
Wollongong’s Regent Theatre in 1994. Photo: From the collections of Wollongong City Libraries and the Illawarra Historical Society – P11512.
The Regent Theatre remained operating until 31 January 2004 and in 2005 the ownership of the building transferred to the Gateway City Church.
In 2020 it was purchased by Joe McGuinness, in a partnership with Yours and Owls.
The current status of that partnership is unknown; however, Yours and Owls are listed in the development application’s management plan.
Mr McGuiness received development consent from Wollongong City Council to adapt the building to a venue for live entertainment – and now the first formal application for the building’s transformation is on public display.
The new venue would retain the existing original facade as well as the sloping ground floor level, mezzanine and stage with a proscenium arch.
The rooftop would be reimagined as an outdoor entertainment area, with a bar, portable projection screen, seating, an overhead pergola and a 2.1 m customised patterned art deco screen.
Inside, the lower circle would be reconfigured for use as an entertainment venue, with existing seating removed, lighting upgrades and a service bar installed.
The dress circle mezzanine level would be used as extra space for large shows; for smaller shows, rear access to the lower circle from Market Street would enable the lobby bar, the foyer and Reggie’s Bar to operate independently as areas for light meals, ticketing and merchandise, and a late-night cocktail bar respectively.
The foyer would also serve as an activated arts space and thoroughfare from Wollongong Mall to Keira Street via the laneway off Market Street.
Reggie’s Bar would also have the potential to host its own live entertainment, and operate independently from the lower circle.
If you would like to take a look at the development application it will be on display until 1 April on council’s website.
