Melbourne’s iconic Palais Theatre is getting a facelift to the tune of $20 million smackeroos, with the old girl’s full restoration plans just being unveiled.
The Dame of St Kilda will be going back to the future, with an all-over paint job to transform the facade from the totally unsexy off-white that it currently sports back to the OG sandy yellow colour of its 1927 heyday.
The @PalaisTheatre is going retro! As the scaffolding comes down the original external paint colour will be revealed. (Yes, it's yellow.) pic.twitter.com/t6hKfMeMCK
— PalaisTheatre (@PalaisTheatre) November 25, 2016
According to a press release from the Victorian Premier’s office, the new renos will also include more ladies’ toilets, upgrades to the theatre’s electrical system, fire protection and hydraulic systems, along with repairs to the exterior. The old neon sign with The Palais Theatre logo will also be reinstated, in keeping with the site’s heritage permit.
Minister for Creative Industries and Member for Albert Park Martin Foley (who took his wife on their first date in 1984 to the Palais, FYI) says of the upgrades: “We promised to save the Palais – and we’re doing just that. The work currently being done will ensure it remainsan important part of St Kilda’s culture and Victoria’s live music scene for many years to come.”
An extra $7 million of works will be added by concert promoter Live Nation, who takes over as the venue’s official operator next April, following its $60 million 30-year lease announced earlier this year.
The Palais has been largely covered in scaffolding since 2014, but it won’t be long til she’s restored to her former glory.
Some of the restoration works have already begun.
