Former Rex Cinema, 10 Argyle Street

The Former Rex Cinema, located at 10 Argyle Street, was built in 1936 and features earlier interior fixtures along with alterations from the 1960s, particularly to the front elevation. The building is a utilitarian gabled shed with a 1960s brick façade, which houses an almost complete 1936 cinema interior, with most fixtures and fittings sourced from the RMS Homeric, previously known as the SS Columbus.

The exterior includes three two-leaf glazed timber doors with octagonal glazing and octagonal glazed fanlights, which are recessed at the center of the brick façade, accessed by three steps. The façade has a regular pattern of mainly narrow upright windows and concrete skews. The sides and rear are rendered, and there is a lean-to passage along the southeast elevation. The roof is made of corrugated iron or asbestos and features three cast-iron vents along the ridge. As of 2005, all doors and windows have been boarded up.

Inside, the foyer is adorned with mahogany paneling and a compartmented ceiling, featuring circular multi-bulb brass and glass light fittings. There are staircases on either side of the foyer, showcasing reeded Art Deco Grecian-style balusters and newel posts, with remnants of marble tiles on the stair treads. A fuse room is located under the south staircase, containing a large mirror in an ornately carved timber frame. From the foyer, two two-leaf polished octagonal-glazed doors lead into the auditorium.

The large auditorium features a curved balcony and a stage at the eastern end, framed by a square architrave, an original curtain, and a decorative balustrade. Three fluted Corinthian columns flank the stage over fire exits, and polished mahogany paneling reaches up to the dado level. Above this, delicate decorative painted compartmental paneling with gold-leaf highlights can be seen, along with a similarly styled curved compartmented ceiling and decorative cornicing. A large electric chandelier hangs at the center of the ceiling, with paired wall lights on the side walls. The balcony, accessed from the stair through octagonal-glazed mahogany doors, originally seated approximately 154 people on stepped tiers covered in Art Deco carpet from the RMS Homeric. Behind the auditorium is the projection room, which contains two projectors and associated machinery.