Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade

Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade
Hay Street Mall entrance to Piccadilly Arcade, Perth
General information
Status	Closed (October 2013)
Architectural style	Art Deco
Town or city	Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia
Country	Australia
Coordinates	31°57′13″S 115°51′30″E / 31.9536°S 115.8582°E / -31.9536; 115.8582Coordinates: 31°57′13″S 115°51′30″E / 31.9536°S 115.8582°E / -31.9536; 115.8582
Completed	Arcade – February 1938 Theatre –10 March 1938
Cost	A₤75,000
Client	Claude Albo de Bernales
Design and construction
Architect	Baxter Cox and Leighton
Structural engineer	General Construction Company

The Piccadilly Cinema Centre (formerly Piccadilly Theatre) and Piccadilly Arcade are located at 700-704 Hay Street, Perth, Western Australia. It is an art deco style cinema and shopping arcade, designed by architect William T. Leighton for mining entrepreneur Claude de Bernales. The theatre and arcade opened in 1938, with the arcade connecting Hay Street through to Murray Street. In 1984 the theatre and arcade underwent a significant refurbishment, with the refurbishment winning an architectural award from the Royal Australian Institute of Architecture (WA Chapter) in 1986. The theatre and arcade are classified by the National Trust of Australia and are included on the State Heritage Register. The Piccadilly Cinema was the last remaining operating cinema in the Perth central business district before its closure in 2013.

The Piccadilly Theatre, was one of a number of theatres and cinemas constructed in Perth and its suburbs during the Inter-war period. Originally constructed in the Inter-war Functionalist style, the Piccadilly represented the desire for enjoyment and entertainment displayed by Western Australians towards the end of the Depression. At the time of its construction, the place was fitted out with the most modern features and was the first cinema in Western Australia to be air conditioned.

The site was acquired by Claude Albo de Bernales's Australian Machinery and Investment Company Ltd in 1935. Bernales after completing the construction of London Court in July 1937 turned his attention to his property between Hay and Murray Streets. He set up Piccadilly Arcade Pty Ltd and engaged architects Alfred Baxter Cox and Leighton to design a theatre and shopping arcade for the site. The construction of Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade utilised part of the existing buildings on the site, with the construction contract going to a local firm, General Construction Company. Piccadilly Arcade opened in February 1938, with the theatre opening, a month later, on 10 March 1938. When it opened the theatre had a seating capacity of 1,100.