Forum Theatre

City of Melbourne, Australia

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Built in 1929, the Forum Theatre occupies a prominent corner site on Flinders Street and Russell Street in Melbourne. Designed by celebrated American picture-palace architect John Eberson in association with local firm Bohringer, Taylor & Johnson, the building exemplifies Moorish Revival architecture. The theatre was conceived as an "atmospheric" venue, its interior crafted to resemble a Florentine walled garden beneath a cerulean-blue ceiling dotted with lights that evoke a twilight sky. Originally called the State Theatre, it was renamed the Forum in 1962, subdivided into dual cinemas three years later, and subsequently served religious functions before being adapted as a live music and events venue from 1995 onward. The building is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.