Download Civic Theatre (former) - Gladstone Regional Council

Civic Theatre (former)
Other Names
Street Address
Mountain Arts
Title Details/
GPS Coordinates
1MPH2980
49 Raglan Street
Heritage Significance
Mount Larcom
Criteria
A
Statement
Historical Context
Closer settlement of the Mount Larcom district occurred in the early 1880s. A provisional school was established in 1881
and, as more settlers occupied the district, a post office, general store and butcher shop were opened. At least two hotels
also operated in the settlement. The North Coast railway was constructed between Gladstone and Rockhampton in 1904
and Mount Larcom became a station on the railway. The town of Mount Larcom was officially proclaimed in 1915; by the
late 1930s the town included two banks, several stores, cafes, billiard and pool rooms, a public hall and the Royal Hotel.
The primary industries in the district were agriculture and dairying.
The Civic Theatre was opened in 1957 by the Chairman of the Calliope Shire Council, W. J. D. Shaw. The Civic was owned
by Frank and Helen Cannan and it was the first dedicated theatre in Mount Larcom. Prior to its opening, pictures were
screened at the Mount Larcom Public Hall (from 1939) and, later, the Mount Larcom show ground. The Civic Theatre was
fitted with cinema technology, including Bausch & Lomb CinemaScope lenses, a miracle mirror screen and a 'modern type'
Western Electric speaker system. The cinema also included a candy bar.
B
Statement
Definition
The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of the region’s
history.
The Civic Theatre is important in demonstrating the pattern of the region’s
history, particularly the demand for cinema entertainment in rural towns in the
Gladstone region. It is also significant as the first dedicated cinema in Mount
Larcom.
The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of the region’s
cultural heritage.
The Civic Theatre demonstrates a rare and endangered aspect of the region’s
history, as theatres constructed in the 1950s in rural towns are no longer
common in the Gladstone region.
Location Map
Physical Description
The Mount Larcom Cinema is located on Raglan Street in the northern part of the township. The terrain is sloped with
grass areas and a number of native trees. The Cinema complex consists of a main building, two add-on structures and two
out houses. The main building is a tall, rectangular, single storey timber structure on a concrete base, with a gable roof.
The walls and the roof are clad with corrugated iron sheeting. Located in the centre of the front of the Cinema building,
on ground level, is a single door. In front of the main building is a small, fenced, grass area, featuring two promotional
signs. Attached to the left side of the Cinema building, and slightly protruding, is the main entrance through a narrow
timber annex with corrugated iron clad skillion roof, on a concrete base. The façade is timber clad and features a straight
parapet and a short roof element, both wrapping a short distance around the corner. Access is through a double glass and
timber door, featuring a fanlight. On the left is a small window. Both, the door and the window are boarded up, although
gaps in the board reveal that the structure housed the ticket office and candy bar for the cinema. The side of the annex
shows three tall windows and in the back, which is clad with corrugated iron sheeting, there is a single door. The
remainder of the south-eastern side of the main building shows two double door entrances, each covered by an awning,
featuring corrugated iron sheeting supported by posts, and screened off by lattice work. The north-western side shows
three entrances into the building, displaying similar features. Located in the back of the main building is the second annex
on low stumps with skillion roof. The walls and roof are clad with corrugated iron and access is via a set of stairs from the
northern side. There is a second door on the southern side without stairs. Next to both doors is a window. The door and
window on the northern side are boarded up. Located to the left of the annex is another single door entrance into the
main building. Also located in the rear of the building are two outhouses, constructed of timber and corrugated iron
sheeting.
Good
Integrity
Statutory Listings No statutory listings
Non-Statutory
Listings
No non-statutory listings
Inspection Date
12/10/2011
Condition
Fair
References
Tully, J, Holborow, J, Krapkat, C, & Hannant, C, 2007, Mount Larcom State School & Secondary Department 125th Jubilee,
Mount Larcom State School Parents & Citizen’s Association.
Gladstone Regional Council
Local Heritage Register