Item #125803 A vintage photograph of Centennial Hall at the Adelaide Showgrounds in inner-suburban Wayville, prior to its opening in 1936. Adelaide Centennial Hall.
A vintage photograph of Centennial Hall at the Adelaide Showgrounds in inner-suburban Wayville, prior to its opening in 1936
[Centennial Hall, Adelaide]

A vintage photograph of Centennial Hall at the Adelaide Showgrounds in inner-suburban Wayville, prior to its opening in 1936

Adelaide, D. Darian Smith, Commercial & Aerial Photography, [1936].

A panoramic gelatin silver photograph (128 × 322 mm), unmounted as issued, with the ink-stamp of the photographer on the verso.

The print has a slight longitudinal curl, and a few light creases near the right-hand edge; overall, in excellent condition.

The photograph was taken as the landscaping in the front of the building was being undertaken; the horse-drawn roller seems an anachronism against the backdrop of the impressive Art Deco facade. The State Library of South Australia has in its collection a raking shot of the building, taken from the north-east, showing the completed landscaping (SLSA B 7265). 'Centennial Hall, built to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Colony (later State) of South Australia, and to house the 1936 Centennial Empire Exhibition, was opened on 20 March 1936. It was considered to be a significant historical landmark, and was one of the few remaining examples of 1930s Art Deco architecture in Adelaide. However, the building developed "concrete cancer" and was closed at the end of the 2005 Royal Show because it was unsafe. Demolition of Centennial Hall commenced on Wednesday 18 July 2007' (Wikipedia). A huge poster advertising the Centennial Exhibition is visible in this image.

Item #125803

Price (AUD): $300.00