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This month in South Australia’s history

Jubilee International Exhibition

The official launch of the exhibition on 21 June 1887 was preceded by a march through the city by cavalry, infantry, artillery and marines from several ships. The exhibition proved hugely popular. By its close on 7 January 1888, 789 672 people had attended, more than twice Adelaide’s population.

The Regent Theatre opens

The most opulent theatre on Rundle Street was the Regent Theatre, built in 1927–28 by J Reid-Taylor to the design of Cedric, Ballantyne & Associates of Melbourne and English, Soward & Jackson of Adelaide. Described as a ‘palace of art’ when it opened on 29 June 1928, the Regent’s lavish interior featured marble stairs, portraits, tapestries and sculpture. A large Wurlitzer organ played at movie screenings until 1967. In that year the stalls and downstairs foyer were converted into an arcade and the stage space used as part of a second cinema. Remains of the Regent Theatre can still be seen upstairs at the Rundle Mall end of today’s Regent Arcade.

The Grand Central Hotel opens

In 1909 William Gibson purchased the York Hotel on the southeast corner of Rundle Street and Pulteney Street. It was demolished to make way for an up-market hotel. The Grand Central Hotel opened with much fanfare on 20 June 1911. The hotel contained 150 rooms plus lounges, two saloons, a billiard room, and writing and smoking rooms. The dining room could accommodate up to 600 people. Other publicised features included an ‘immense’ central light court, electric lifts and artificial heating. The flat roof was intended to house a tennis court and tea garden. Guests included the Prince of Wales, Mark Twain and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, the hotel did not flourish. In 1926 it was bought by Foy & Gibson and incorporated into the department store. When the store moved further west along Rundle Street in the 1950s the former hotel was sold to the Electricity Trust of South Australia and was then used by government departments. It was demolished in 1975–76 and replaced by a multi-storey car park.