Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade

One of Perth’s best Art Deco buildings, Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade was constructed in 1938 for shifty mining investor, Claude de Bernales. The theatre is reported to have a ghost, claimed to be a former manager.

In 1937, de Bernales had constructed London Court, an arcade intended to resemble a 16th century English street. After this, he turned his attention to a new project and engaged architects Alfred Baxter Cox and William Leighton to design a theatre and shopping arcade.

De Bernales had migrated to Western Australia in 1897, at the age of 21, drawn by the gold boom. He established himself as a machinery salesman, and did well, mainly by using his charm and immaculate appearance. He became a mining promoter and, between 1932 and 1935, he formed twenty new companies in London and sold gold leases, and acquired control of Great Boulder Proprietary Gold Mine. Many of his ventures failed, and he was finally undone in the 1940s.

The construction of Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade utilised part of the existing buildings on the site. There was a partial demolition of Freedman’s Building and the two-storey Collins House was remodelled, with the ground floor converted into part of the arcade.

Piccadilly Arcade, consisting of 37 shops, opened early in February 1938, with the Theatre opening one month later. The opening ceremony of the new theatre was performed by Governor James Mitchell, and the proceeds went to the Children’s Hospital building scheme. It was not the largest theatre in Perth, seating only 1100, but its décor was admired. The foyers were profusely decorated with red and gold roses, pink gladioli and varicoloured dahlias. The ladies’ boudoir was particularly praised, being full of mirrors, lounge chairs,

smokers’ stands and toilet requisites. This was a luxurious spot to appeal to the “modern woman”.

The theatre attendants were smartly uniformed, the female ushers attired in short black frocks finished down the front with two rows of white pearl button. They also wore short a white cape-coat, much like a nurse’s, and white gauntlet gloves were tucked into the waist band. Attendants at the sweet counter in the foyer wore bright blue and white uniforms with the word ‘Piccadilly’ in gold lettering.

An island ticket box was finished in black and chrome-plated metal, and the ceiling of the lobby was designed to continues in an unbroken line to the front of the street awning. The front of the building was adorned by a neon sign. The focal point in the auditorium was a green and gold curtain side floodlit to accent its beauty. And the Piccadilly Theatre was the first in Western Australia to be air conditioned.

In 1983, Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade was closed for refurbishment, and a $2 million-dollar facelift, designed by Perth architect Ian Tucker, brought out more of the Art Deco style, with pink and salmon highlights, and pink and grey Portuguese marble paving. Piccadilly Theatre was developed into a three-cinema complex in the 1990s.

However, in May 2013 it was revealed that a portion of the cinema’s roof had collapsed due to poor maintenance. As a result, it closed in September 2013, reportedly with large debts. In 2017, it was announced that the theatre would be restored and reopened, after financial assistance was offered by the City of Perth. The shopping arcade continues to offer shoppers a variety of stores.