Luna Leederville
A suburban Art Deco cinema at the corner of Oxford and Vincent streets, still screening films nearly a century after its opening night in 1927.
At a glance
Luna Leederville occupies a corner site in the Perth suburb of Leederville, Western Australia. Built as the New Oxford Theatre, it has changed names and owners repeatedly across its life. It remains in active use as a cinema today.
History
Architect Samuel B. Rosenthal, a specialist in cinema design during the interwar years, drew up the New Oxford Theatre. E. A. Allwood built it. It opened in March 1927 before a capacity crowd of 1,286, with vaudeville, an orchestra, comedy, and an appearance by the first Miss Australia, Beryl Mills. Silent films ran to piano or organ accompaniment until sound arrived in September 1929, the first suburban theatre in the area to install it. A vast 3,000-seat picture garden opened nearby in 1935, later shrinking before closing in 1964 for an Ampol service station. The theatre itself passed through many hands and names: Nickelodeon in 1966, Olympia in 1972, when it showed mostly Greek and Italian films for the local community, then New Oxford again in 1979 under Cyril Watson and partners. R-rated programming rescued flagging attendance. A new roof, a 13-metre screen and an upstairs cinema called Star Theatre followed in the early 1980s. The Gods Must Be Crazy ran for three years, its longest-showing film. Renamed Luna Cinema in the 1990s, the venue split into twin screens in 1995 and gained a rear picture garden in 1996. Luna Palace Group took over in 1999, renovated again, and settled on the name Luna Leederville.
What you see
The building is a representative suburban cinema in Interwar Art Deco style. Stucco decoration embellishes the two-storey façade. Unlike contemporaries such as the Astor or Regal, which favour moderne lines, Luna Leederville keeps a distinctly Art Deco face. It anchors the intersection firmly. The roofline has been raised since construction and the original verandah is gone. Side and rear elevations turn plainly functionalist, contributing little to the street beyond the main frontage.
Cultural significance
Few Perth cinemas carry this much layered history in one building. The venue tracked shifts in Leederville’s community, from vaudeville and silent film through Greek and Italian programming to independent cinema. It was named Australia’s best Indie-Urban Cinema in both 1998 and 1999. A 2009 documentary, The New Oxford Project, traced its impact on local culture. The building endures as a working memory of suburban cinema-going in Western Australia.
Key facts
- Location: corner of Oxford and Vincent streets, Leederville, City of Vincent, Western Australia
- Opened: March 1927 as the New Oxford Theatre
- Architect: Samuel B. Rosenthal; built by E. A. Allwood
- Style: Interwar Art Deco
- Former names: Nickelodeon, Olympia, Star Theatre, New Oxford, Luna Cinema
- Heritage status: on the Town of Vincent’s Municipal Heritage Inventory since 1995; recommended for the State Register of Heritage Places
Practical information & getting there
Luna Leederville sits at a busy corner in Leederville, a short trip from central Perth. You can check current film times and ticketing on the official website before visiting. The cinema functions as a regular commercial venue, so no special access arrangements are needed.
Sources & resources
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