The wattle path palais de danse st kilda c1925
The Palais de Danse was a large dance hall located next to the Palais Theatre in the entertainment precinct of the foreshore of St Kilda, a beachside inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Built by the Phillips Brothers (who had also built Luna Park) in 1919, it featured a geometric interior from 1920 designed by the renowned American-Australian architect, Walter Burley Griffin (1876–1937), and his wife Marion Griffin (1871–1961). The building was destroyed by fire in 1969.
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Architecture
The 1919 Palais de Danse exterior (designer unknown) was dominated by a large arched form following that of the roof, anchored by large square piers each side, decorated with delicate classical details, and topped by fanciful stepped turrets.
The Griffin’s interior design was concentrated in the striking geometric frieze, ceiling and prominent light fittings. The dance floor was surrounded by seating areas behind abstracted fluted Doric columns, which supported a remarkable frieze of complex, prismatic, up-lit panels. The ceiling, at first just the exposed metal trusses of the roof, was soon concealed by low pitched angled ribbing, from which hung three rows of large geometrically decorated prismatic lamps .
The Palais de Danse could hold as many as 2,870 patrons, and was a popular venue throughout its life, and is remembered for its magical atmosphere. On hot nights, the louvered wall panels hinged up, to capture sea breezes wafting off the bay.
History
Over a period of 15 years, there have been four different buildings with the name Palais in this location and next door, the site of the current Palais Theatre, all built by the Phillips brothers. The first Palais de Danse, a timber arched roofed structure, was built in 1913 on the site currently occupied by the Palais Theatre. This was converted to also show pictures in 1915, becoming the first Palais Theatre. In 1919, a large steel framed arched structure was built over the original timber Palais, which was then relocated next door to become the Palais de Danse (again), while the new larger arched building became the Palais Pictures. The interior of the relocated Palais de Danse was then redesigned by the Griffins the following year.
Extensive renovations of the larger Palais Pictures, designed by the Griffins, creating a bold new stepped geometric front, was nearly complete when it burnt to the ground in February 1926. That was the very short lived third Palais building. The Phillips brothers then decided to build a much grander theatre on the site and commissioned the Sydney theatre architect Henry E. White (1888-1952), who designed the current building.