1921 Collingwood theatre gutted in suspicious fire
The Greek revival Austral Picture Theatre, opened in 1921, has been destroyed by a fire police deem suspicious.
Fire crews reached the double-storey building in Johnston Street, Collingwood, at 10:30pm on Saturday and found thick smoke and flames. Fire Rescue Victoria took well over an hour to bring the blaze under control.
The crews stopped it spreading to neighbouring properties. The 1921 theatre later became a rollerskating rink and housed a carpet store before sitting empty for years.
An arson chemist has begun investigating. The Heritage Council said the Greek revival building is locally important for history and design, though not officially protected.
- 1921
- Year opened
- Robert McLeish
- Original owner
- Johnston Street, Collingwood
- Location
Why it mattersMelbourne loses a century-old cultural landmark tied to the city's cinema history, and residents will want to know whether arson played a role.
AustraliaThe Collingwood community and Melbourne history enthusiasts have lost a distinctive local building that survived over a century before the fire.
Corroborated bysmh.com.au·theage.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
