The Bondi Pavilion has a long history of both reinvention and neglect. It's frequently changing architecture and structure acting to accommodate the constantly changing and evolving community around it.
1900 boom in surf bathing past time- change rooms installed on beach.
1909 Waverley council asked Tenders for structural idea, Taylor and Bills design won and became known as The Castle due to its whimsical details. However despite pretty facades, interior was very simple consisting merely of change rooms.
1923 Bondi Improvement Scheme launched, due to swimming and surfing becoming even more popular and more facilities and services being needed. The design competition was fierce, tenders coming from all over the world.
Architectual firm Robertson and Marks won. Began building new Pavilion in May 1928, design included Changing areas, Turkish baths, shops, lockers, gym and ball room. Built in a mixture in Georgian revival and Mediterranean styles- incorporating then exoctic, now iconic colonnade facades.
In October 1933 the space was converted into an amusement parlour, though by 1934 it had reverted back to its bath house origins.
During second world war, Bondi was identified a potential invasion point. In 1943, on military recommendation, council destroyed entrance to undergrounds pathways. Accidently destroying several other parts of the pavilion.
The Pavilion until the end of the war became an officers club.
In the late 1940s a ‘Surf & Dance at Bondi (The playground of the Pacific)’ began on a Sundays from 2.30-6.30 p.m. In 1948 the Pavilion obtained a liquor licence, and the concerts, dances and cabarets that had continued through the war spun merrily on.
By the mid 1950s, the popularity of the Pavilion as an entertainment venue had faded. Change rooms were no longer needed with the improvements in swim wear. The building was deteriorating and delicensed. All of which resulted in the pavilion from 1960 through to 1975 being considered an embarrassment.
This public attitude prompted a reinvention of the Pavilion and the role it played in the community. In 1973 the Bondi Theatre Group made a proposal to Waverley Council to convert the old Palm Court Ballroom into a theatre. It opened in 1975 and became a cultural and community centre. Construction began on a new gymnasium, exhibition rooms, and an outdoor amphitheatre for 500, netball court, child care centre, workshops for craft classes, a restaurant, and a nominal amount of changing sheds.
Today, the pavilion countinues to hold a special place in the local landscape and is one of the most recognised features on Bondi Beach . The continuing expansion of the arts and cultural programs include an artist-in-residence, refurbishment of the theatre, landscaping of the courtyards and upgrading of the amphitheatre. Regular festivals and special events continue through the year, bringing people in together, reminding us of the glory days of bondi pavilion.
1900 boom in surf bathing past time- change rooms installed on beach.
1909 Waverley council asked Tenders for structural idea, Taylor and Bills design won and became known as The Castle due to its whimsical details. However despite pretty facades, interior was very simple consisting merely of change rooms.
1923 Bondi Improvement Scheme launched, due to swimming and surfing becoming even more popular and more facilities and services being needed. The design competition was fierce, tenders coming from all over the world.
Architectual firm Robertson and Marks won. Began building new Pavilion in May 1928, design included Changing areas, Turkish baths, shops, lockers, gym and ball room. Built in a mixture in Georgian revival and Mediterranean styles- incorporating then exoctic, now iconic colonnade facades.
In October 1933 the space was converted into an amusement parlour, though by 1934 it had reverted back to its bath house origins.
During second world war, Bondi was identified a potential invasion point. In 1943, on military recommendation, council destroyed entrance to undergrounds pathways. Accidently destroying several other parts of the pavilion.
The Pavilion until the end of the war became an officers club.
In the late 1940s a ‘Surf & Dance at Bondi (The playground of the Pacific)’ began on a Sundays from 2.30-6.30 p.m. In 1948 the Pavilion obtained a liquor licence, and the concerts, dances and cabarets that had continued through the war spun merrily on.
By the mid 1950s, the popularity of the Pavilion as an entertainment venue had faded. Change rooms were no longer needed with the improvements in swim wear. The building was deteriorating and delicensed. All of which resulted in the pavilion from 1960 through to 1975 being considered an embarrassment.
This public attitude prompted a reinvention of the Pavilion and the role it played in the community. In 1973 the Bondi Theatre Group made a proposal to Waverley Council to convert the old Palm Court Ballroom into a theatre. It opened in 1975 and became a cultural and community centre. Construction began on a new gymnasium, exhibition rooms, and an outdoor amphitheatre for 500, netball court, child care centre, workshops for craft classes, a restaurant, and a nominal amount of changing sheds.
Today, the pavilion countinues to hold a special place in the local landscape and is one of the most recognised features on Bondi Beach . The continuing expansion of the arts and cultural programs include an artist-in-residence, refurbishment of the theatre, landscaping of the courtyards and upgrading of the amphitheatre. Regular festivals and special events continue through the year, bringing people in together, reminding us of the glory days of bondi pavilion.