Petersham Town Hall
Situated at 107 Crystal Street, Petersham, this is one of the few remaining Art Deco town halls that has been maintained in original condition.
It has grand foyers, a ticket box and cloakroom. Ideal for concerts, dances, meetings and conferences
Capacity
- 425 dinner and dance
- 440 meeting layout
Hall Dimensions
- Hall 25m long x 19.7m wide x 9.2m high
- Stage 7.3m deep x 11.5m wide (8m opening)
- Dining room 8m x 7.5m
Hall Facilities
- Grand foyers (2), carpeted
- Wooden dance floor
- 450 chairs
- 70 tables 180cm x 75cm
- 10 tables 210cm x 75cm
- Large kitchen & dining rooms
- Dressing rooms 8m x 4m
- Wheelchair access to main hall
- Stage risers
- 300 x 60 x 30cm high (1)
- 200 x 100 x 500cm high (1)
- 180 x 900 x 450cm high (1)
- Lectern
Stage
- 7.3m deep x 11.5m wide
- 8m stagefront opening
- 3 sets of movable stage curtains
- Stagedoor access from Frederick Street
- Front and back lighting booms with lights
- Spare boom towards rear for set hanging or decoration
- Stage risers (see above under "Hall Facilities")
- 3 phase power outlet
- Footlight well with multiple power outlets
- Dressing rooms with toilets each side of the stage
- Multiple access doors to stage from rear and side
Kitchen
- 4-ring cook top & cooking plate (gas)
- Food warmer and Bain Marie
- Refrigerator (2 door)
- Hot water urn, large
- Serving trolleys, 2-tiered
Noise Restrictions
- Amplified sound to cease by 10pm Sunday - Thursday (event end by 11pm; cleanup till midnight)
- Amplified sound to cease by midnight Friday & Saturday evenings (cleanup till 1am)
Parking
Available on the street to the side and rear of the Hall.
Public Transport
Petersham Station is 5 minutes walk.
428, L28 and 445 buses stop on the corner of New Canterbury Roads and Gordon Streets at Petersham.
412 and 445 buses stop at Petersham Station.
Access
- Wheelchair access to the Foyers and Hall at the main front entrance
- Accessible toilet off dining room hallway
- Emergency wheelchair access at side doors
Electrical Facilities
- 3 phase (5 pin) and 15 amp (3 pin) outlets in kitchen
- 3 phase (5 pin) outlet on stage
- Power points around walls of Hall and side rooms
- Power outlet layout available for download at the top of this page
History
Opened in July 1938, Petersham Town Hall is located on the corner of Crystal and Frederick Streets in Petersham. It is situated opposite Marrickville Council's administration building.
The art deco styled town hall features a prominent hexagonal clock tower, it is the second town hall to have been built on the same site.
Petersham was a separate Council from 1871 until an amalgamation with Marrickville and St Peters in 1949. Petersham's first town hall was erected in 1882 and demolished in 1937 following a series of hotly contested debates. The newly amalgamated Marrickville Council decided to centralize operations at Petersham from 1949 partially due to the relative newness and greater size afforded by Petersham Town Hall at the time.
The Story of Petersham, published in 1948 boasted that Petersham Town Hall's main auditorium featured a specially constructed dance floor with polished maple on the lower panels of the walls.
It was also the first metropolitan town hall in Australia to install a public address system.
Like Marrickville Town Hall, Petersham had a brush with fame when some of the flamboyant dancing scenes from director Baz Lurhmann's 1992 film Strictly Ballroom were filmed in its main auditorium.
With the construction of the administration building in 1974, Marrickville Council relocated most of its indoor operations across the road. However, a History & Archival Reference Centre now exists in the former Council Chambers on the first floor of the Town Hall. The Centre is publicly accessible each Tuesday between 10 am and 1 pm and from 2 pm until 4 pm.
References:
- Marrickville: Rural outpost to inner city by Richard Cashman & Chrys Meader. Published by Hale & Iremonger, 1990.
- Marrickville: People and places by Richard Cashman, Chrys Meader & Anne Carolan. Published by Hale & Iremonger, 1994.
- Marrickville Council History & Archival Reference Centre Petersham Town Hall.
- The story of Petersham: 1793-1948 Compiled by Allan M. Shepherd. Published by Petersham Municipal Council, 1949.
