Art Deco Regent Theatre - Hokitika, SI, New Zealand
S 42° 43.066 E 170° 57.763
59G E 496947 N 5270525
This Vintage Movie Theatre was built in 1935 and opened in 1936, in the Art-Deco style.
Waymark Code: WM1BY23
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 04/23/2025
Views: 1
"Hokitika’s Art Deco style Regent Theatre, constructed in 1935, tells the story of a small New Zealand town conforming at an early date to international cinema design standards. Its continuous history as an independent cinema and theatre connects the building with the social life of the town’s inhabitants and reflects the waves of popularity of this form of entertainment ...
"Sited on a prominent corner location in central Hokitika, the main street elevation exhibits the stepped symmetrical forms typical of the Art Deco style, with horizontal emphasis in the use of banding, window and elevation proportions, and chevron patterns in the window frames. Materials used on the exterior are painted cement render, steel window frames and timber framed shop fronts. The main components of the interior are the theatre foyer, auditorium and back stage. Decoration on the interior includes zigzag patterns and recessed horizontal lines, and materials used are mostly painted plaster over timber." [ex-NZ Heritage site: Regent Theatre]
While it is not the first moving picture theatre in the small town, as the Princess Theatre of the 1880s had needed to be replaced, and in 1934 the local community banded together and in mid to late 1935 the Regent Theatre was built. The external and interior are of Art-Deco styling. In 1954 brighter projectors were installed, making it one of the most modern of the time. While patronage was high for several decades, the introduction of television brought a decline in patronage. In the early 1980s restoration work was done, with further strengthening of the structure in 2007, and new digital projection and sound installation.
From the poster sign at the entrance to the cinema, is the following:
"New Zealand Art Deco flourished in the 1930s. Cinemas similar to Hokitika's Regent Theatre were built in Napier, Nelson, Wellington and Christchurch. All were heavily influenced by American examples. Design features include geometric patterns, zigzags, chevrons, lightening bolts, ziggurat forms, sun bursts, overlapping squares, and vertical and horizontal fins. Decoration was usually concentrated in the upper part of the building, in spandrel panels and above windows. Sconce lights and decorative grillwork were popular and both feature in this theatre." [Heritage New Zealand - Pouhere Taonga]
While a Google search may give 'you' George N. Kenworthy as the architect of the Regent Theatre, that is the one in Mudgee, NSW!!
Visited: 1607, Thursday, 1 August, 2024