REPOST
@tasmanianmodernism The Star Theatre in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia is a great example of streamline Art Deco and was officially opened in 1936. It had a relatively short life as a cinema closing its doors in 1969, just 33 years after it started showing its first movies. Many cinemas struggled to stay open due to the advent of television. Whilst Launceston lost one of its grandest Art Deco theatres to the wrecking ball in the 1960s (and many around Australia had the same fate or lay in ruin or decay) the Star operated as a charity shop for decades afterwards until in 2018 it was reopened as a cinema again. This is an example of the reuse of a building once it closed down and by being used means its not falling into decay and at risk of demolition. I can remember when it was a charity store and walking around in what would have been the cinema lobby and the theatre itself. Gazing upwards I could see all of the original art deco plaster work and upstairs were the porthole windows you could see from the outside of the building. It's wonderful when a building gets reused but the layers of history retained and the second hand items only a temporary disguise to an intact and beautiful example of Art Deco architecture. Whilst the original lobby area was removed sometimes after the hotels closure the remaining features and complete originality of the facade provide the passer by with an exemplar style of architecture from the period. And with its recent reopening as a cinema, it's a case of back to the future for the Star! This photograph is now available as a fine art limited edition print on my website via the link in the bio above
#tasmania #tasmanianmodernism #tasmanianarchitecture #tasmanianhistory #heritagetasmania #longtermproject #artdeco #artdecoarchitecture #streamlinemoderne #monotone #architecturephotography #streetphotography #lookingup _architecture
#ausphotomag #capturemagazine #launcestontasmania 
