Can we save the Lyric?

Roger McLennan in front of the Lyric Theatre where he worked when it was in its hey-day.

June 12, 2024

By Rachel Williams

Scottsdale’s iconic Lyric Theatre risks falling into a state of disrepair if something isn’t done to restore the site to its former glory.

That’s the real fear of many in the community as the King St building sits sad and idle, 100 years after hundreds of residents gathered to attend its grand opening.

The building’s front doors were badly damaged in a storm two weeks ago and the top of the doors remain open to the elements.

Dorset Council General Manager John Marik said council officers, along with representatives from the local SES unit, responded to a call out on Friday, May 31, after the storm damage.

“Officers were unable to contact the owner and undertook repairs to the door frame to secure the site,” Mr Marik said.

The North-Eastern Advertiser has also been unable to contact the owner, Terence Walder, who purchased it from local businessman Kelly Gerke in 2010.

It is understood the property was almost auctioned off by the council for unpaid rates some years ago, but Dorset Commissioner Andrew Wardlaw said council had not had any conversations with the owner in recent times about a possible sale or redevelopment options.

“Council is open to discussions, with community, businesses and/or developers, on improving community amenity and would welcome any opportunity for a discussion with the property owner regarding future use of the Lyric Theatre,” Commissioner Wardlaw said.

The idea of a restoration and repurposing would be welcomed by many, including Bridport’s Roger McLennan, who worked at the theatre while finishing school in 1959-60.

Mr McLennan said he was a “general dogs’ body” who helped operate the projector when the site was owned by Antonio Armellei, who also owned the next-door service station (now Cellarbrations) with Franco Morganti.

“It was beautiful. The farmers would congregate out the front at intermission between the shorts and the movie and all sorts of wheelings and dealings were done buying and selling cattle,” he said.

“It is very sad and disappointing it has been left to rack and ruin. We don’t have a hall other than the Mechanics’ which has limited capacity, but it would take a lot of money to do something.”

Ally Mercer was involved in the nine-year restoration of the Mechanics’ Hall, which was bought by the James Scott Decorative Arts Society on behalf of the Dorset community, from Council for $1, with the aim of restoring it for community use.

“It’s taken tens of thousands of hours of volunteer labour, two small grants and community support to get it to where it is today,” Ms Mercer said.

“More than $400,000 has been invested in the hall with in-kind support and the small grants. The community now takes pride and ownership of a much-loved historic building.

“Looking at the Lyric, it would be a fantastic project, but so much larger than that of the Mechanics’.

“Getting something going with the Lyric is complex, it would require a very large benefactor to first purchase the building, which two years ago was on the market for $495,000.

“The façade is still as beautiful as it was, but the majesty of the inside has been lost to history. Is it something the community wants to, or could resurrect?”

It’s a conversation worth having according to Mr Gerke, who owned it from early 2002-2010.

“It’s a shame because it is right in the middle of our town. I was actually lucky when the back of the roof blew off in a large storm and I was able to get insurance to re-roof and put new gutters in because they were leaking and undermining the foundations and then we repainted it to preserve it, but it’s going backwards again,” Mr Gerke said.

“There were so many ideas and it has a lot of potential – we thought about little stalls with local wine and cheese
producers like a providore, industrial unit housing where you could fit about
eight units inside, we had a meeting
with (then MP) Peter Gutwein and David Foster about him having his axeman’s museum there and we pulled out the upstairs stage and some of the flooring to get it ready for Banjo’s Bakery who were going to lease it and then that fell though at the last minute.

“We put some offices in at the back of the building but we sold it during the downturn of the forestry industry in 2010 for about $200,000 when it was very negative here at the time.”

Dorset History Society spokesman Nigel Mercer said the Lyric was hugely popular and influential in the history of the town, holding balls, dances, meetings, concerts as well as showing films.

It was first proposed in 1922 by Mr Tasman Newman and was officially opened on June 7, 1924, presenting “a very fine appearance” and was described at the time as “an outstanding acquisition to the architectural appearance of the street”.

The concrete building was designed
with two storeys, a 2.4m staircase
leading to the dress circle, a stage measuring 1.5m high, with an opening of 7m and depth of 7.6m and included electric lighting effects “equal to anything in the cities.”

The floor was of Tasmanian oak
and the stage was graced by “a beautiful drop screen in blue velvet, with gold trimmings surrounding a central lyre, also in gold”.

“It would be wonderful if you could return it to its former glory like they have at the Star Theatre in Invermay,” Mr McLennan mused.