Palace has confirmed it will open a 15 screen cinema complex at historic Pentridge Prison site in Coburg, Melbourne. The development is a part of the Shayher Group’s planned $2 million spend to reactivate the heritage building and restore the former jail’s towers.
Her Majesty’s Prison Pentridge was first established in 1851 until it closed on 1 May 1997. The site which is boarded by Champ Street, Pentridge Boulevard, Murray Road and Stockade Avenue is Currently split into two sections. The Palace Cinema, temporarily named Palace Champ Street after the street in which it is located, will not reside inside the heritage-listed prison buildings.
The cinema boasts an environmentally sustainable design, and will be a part of a boutique shopping precinct.
“My family’s vision for Palace Champ Street is to create a warm, vibrant, film, arts, and hospitality hub, which will unite cinema lovers of all ages and cultural backgrounds,” said Palace Cinemas’ CEO Benjamin Zeccola.
The complex will screen both mainstream movie blockbusters, as well as independent releases, and host international film festivals featuring contemporary cinema from Italy, Spain and France.
Palace Champ Street is expected to open its doors in mid 2019, with construction of its retail precinct expected to begin in 2017.
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